Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“Ineed your phone.” Ryan's statement drew her attention back to him.
“Why?” she asked, reluctant to let it go.
“Whoever keeps reaching out to you might have the means to track our location through it.”
She hadn’t thought about that before. It turned her stomach to think someone she trusted might have killed Abby and Pete.
Charlie gave him the phone and then watched as he removed the battery.
What if it were too late? What if the killer had already found where they were staying? The very thought was terrifying.
“I’ll reach out to our tech person and see if they can find out who is sending the messages but from what I can see, they know how to cover their tracks.”
So, the phone might be a dead end.
Ryan pocketed her phone and rose. “I’ll get our bags and bring them inside. There are two bedrooms. Take whichever one you want.”
He left her alone. Charlie held out her hands and realized they were trembling. In the space of twenty-four hours, it had become painfully clear someone wanted her dead and she had no idea who.
Charlie couldn’t stand sitting still any longer.
She walked through the house that included a well-equipped kitchen and dining room.
Down the hall there were two bedrooms. The primary suite was larger than the other and had a bathroom included.
Between the two bedrooms there was an additional bathroom.
She returned to the living room and looked out at the day quickly fading. Ryan spoke on the phone, probably to the sheriff.
She returned to the fire and warmed her hands while trying to recall any small detail Pete might have mentioned about his investigation. She believed he deliberately chose to shield her from what he’d found out. But why?
He rarely mentioned Silas at all and then only in passing. A remark about Silas clearing the pasture behind the cabin or doing some work on the roof of the barn. Never anything more.
Her thoughts went back to the final call between them. The edge in his voice. She’d known something was wrong but he’d brushed off her concern telling her he’d tell her everything soon enough once he had everything worked out.
He’d talked about his wife’s old quilting chest. Though they’d only been married a short time before she died, Pete kept her things.
He’d given Charlie some of her aunt’s jewelry already.
During the call, Pete talked about the quilting chest a lot.
He told her it contained valuable things that couldn’t be replaced. . .
Ryan came into the room. She spun toward him. “We have to go back to Pete’s cabin.”
Ryan dropped the bags near the door and closed it. “Why?”
“Because I think Pete was trying to tell me something during our last call. Something about my aunt’s quilting chest.”
Ryan came closer. “The one he kept in the bedroom?”
She nodded. “That’s the one.” She told him what Pete said about it. “I think he hid something there.”
Ryan studied her face for the longest time. “I can send Boone or Will over to get it. It’s not safe for you to be out in the open—especially at his place.”
She immediately rejected the idea. “No, Ryan, I can’t trust this to anyone else. I should be the one to find it.”
He stared her down for the longest time before slowly agreeing. “Alright, but I want either Boone or Will to meet us there.”
She gave in. “Okay, fine. We should leave right away. There’s always the chance the person behind this will go back to the house and search it again. If he finds what Pete left behind, we might never find out what happened.”
“Give me a second to call Boone.” Ryan pulled out his phone and called a number. He explained what Charlie remembered. “We’re heading over to Pete’s place now. Can Will meet us there?” Ryan placed the call on speaker.
“Hold up a second. I have news from the medical examiner.”
Charlie clutched her hands together and waited for the awful truth she believed was coming to be confirmed.
“He found traces of potassium chloride in Pete’s system. It causes cardiac arrest by disrupting the heart’s electrical activity and it can mimic a heart attack.” Boone paused briefly.
“The ME said it’s easy to miss unless blood potassium is tested immediately. Levels normalize quickly postmortem. Thankfully, he thought to test for it.”
Charlie’s gaze shot to Ryan. Her uncle was murdered. “How did he get potassium chloride in his system?”
“It can be administered in a drink or by injection. Doc’s checking to see if there’s any needle marks on Pete’s body.”
“If not, then the method of ingestion might still be at the cabin,” Ryan told them.
“It’s possible. I’ll send Doug back over with Will to meet you.
” Boone breathed out a breath. “I know this goes without saying but be careful. Someone’s committed at least one murder already—probably two if we believe Abby is dead.
He obviously has nothing to lose, and he thinks Charlie’s a threat. ”
“Copy that.” Ryan ended the call and glanced out the window. “It’ll be getting dark soon. Less chance of seeing danger when it shows up. Let’s get whatever Pete left and leave before that happens.”
Charlie followed him out into the late afternoon’s fading light that sent chills down her spine.
Ryan reversed and soon they were back on the county road that would eventually turn into the Main Street in Pine Haven.
Charlie studied his profile. His clenched strong jaw confirmed he was worried. She was, too. Until the proof was indisputable she hadn’t wanted to believe Pete had been murdered.
After a series of turns, Ryan headed up the mountain toward Pete’s place. “It doesn’t look as if anyone’s been up here lately.”
Charlie saw what he did. The snow from the evening before after she and Ryan left was still untouched.
He turned onto the drive and eased toward the house.
When it came into view, something grabbed Charlie’s attention right away. The lights were on.
Ryan braked. “What on earth. . .?”
Charlie stared at the cabin. “I don’t see anyone.” She faced Ryan. “Did you leave them on by accident?”
Ryan didn’t hesitate. “No way. As soon as Doug finished his work I went through the house and turned off the lights. They weren’t on when we left.”
Which meant someone had turned them on since. Someone that might still be inside.
Ryan called Will. “Where are you?”
“Five minutes out. Anything wrong?”
He told the deputy what had transpired.
“Fall back to the road and wait for us.”
“I will.” Before Ryan could put the vehicle in Reverse, someone stepped out onto the porch. Charlie recognized Silas immediately.
“Why would he be here now?” Charlie couldn’t believe it. It had been years since she’d seen Silas, and during that time, he’d aged badly.
“Stay here. I’ll see what’s going on.”
She grabbed Ryan’s arm, keeping him there. Just for a moment she wavered on her belief that Silas was innocent. He might be a trusted friend of Pete, but she didn’t know him, and it was possible someone close to Pete had killed him.
“I’ll be okay,” he assured her and got out, locking the doors behind himself.
Charlie leaned forward and watched intently as Silas realized he wasn’t alone anymore.
The frail looking man stepped from the porch and met Ryan in the yard.
While she couldn’t hear their conversation, she couldn’t take her eyes off Silas. The last time she’d seen him was shortly before she’d left Pine Haven. He’d lost weight. Although he was younger than her uncle, he looked at least ten years older. She wondered if the man might be using drugs.
Behind them two cruisers eased down the drive with lights on.
Will and another man got out of one followed by Boone in the other. They went over to Ryan and Silas.
Charlie climbed out and joined the group surrounding Silas.
The older man recognized her despite the years. “How’ve you been, Charlie?”
They’d never been close, but he acted as if they had. “I’m fine. Why are you here?” Charlie asked the question that he’d probably already been asked.
“I told the deputy. Pete paid me to fix the kitchen cabinet, and I wanted to finish the job.”
His answer was even more confusing. “You know that Pete’s dead, right?” Charlie wondered if it was possible Silas hadn’t heard.
Silas hung his head. “I know, but I still owe him a fixed cabinet.”
Charlie’s heart went out to the man. She didn’t believe it possible that Silas was the one who killed Pete.
“Why don’t I give you a ride back to your place, Silas?” Boone told him. “For now, until further notice, stay away from Pete’s place. It’s an active crime scene.”
Silas swung toward the house. “It sure is a mess in there. Pete would hate to see it like that.”
That was certainly true. Pete was a neat freak. Everything in its place and a place for everything, he used to say.
“I’ll take care of it if you like, Miss Charlie. Once it’s clear, I can clean it up.”
Charlie wondered if the old guy needed the money. “I’d like that. Thank you, Silas. I’ll be in touch.”
Silas nodded and followed Boone back to his cruiser.
“Let’s get inside.” Ryan cupped her elbow and guided her into the house along with Doug while Will remained outside.
Charlie glanced around the place ignoring the writing above the fireplace. This house had become her home once the one she’d grown up in had burned. “It’s such a mess. I’m not sure how we’ll know if anything was touched.”
“I’ll see what I can find.” Doug set his case down and opened it, ready to begin.
“Why don’t we take a look at the quilt chest?” Ryan followed her into Pete’s bedroom. Photos of her alone and with her parents were all around the room.
She couldn’t look at the reminder of what was lost. “Over there.” Charlie headed for the chest.
Before she opened it Ryan stopped her. “Hang on a second. If there are fingerprints, we don’t want to disturb them.” She waited while he gloved up and handed her a pair.
Ryan opened the chest.
It was filled with the quilts Charlie’s aunt had made. Pete never used them. He held them in the chest as treasures and told Charlie once he passed, he wanted her to have them.
One by one, Charlie carefully removed the quilts until the chest was empty. “There’s nothing in here.” Her shoulders slumped. She’d been so certain they’d find something useful.
Ryan felt around the bottom of the chest before straightening. “You think he meant the quilts? Maybe he wanted you to know how important they were to him.”
Charlie chewed her bottom lip. “Maybe.” But she didn’t believe it. Pete had told her numerous times about the quilts his wife made. She knew they meant a lot to him. That call was different. As if he were trying to tell her something.
She picked up one of the quilts they’d placed on Pete’s bed and held it up. Nothing appeared out of place. It was a simple nine patch pattern which included nine squares arranged in a three-by-three grid.
Charlie felt around the quilt looking for anything out of the ordinary and found nothing.
Ryan saw what she was doing and grabbed the next one and did the same.
When she picked up the next-to-last quilt she noticed something strange about it. “There’s something tucked near the edge. It’s a key.” She noticed a spot where the quilt’s stitching had been removed. Charlie worked the key up and out of the spot.
She held it in her hand and turned it over. “I have no idea what it fits.”
Ryan stood next to her and examined the key. “It looks like the type that could fit a lock box.” He looked around the room for some place where Pete might have hidden the box. “You think it’s in here?”
Charlie was doubtful, but she helped him search. Going through the drawers near Pete’s bed, she realized her uncle had collected every photo she ever sent to him from her work.
She held up the one taken a few years back from her time in Canada.
“He loved that one in particular.” She didn’t realize Ryan was close until he spoke. “Pete was always talking about your work. He was proud of you, Charlie.”
She struggled to draw air into her lungs. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Ryan touched her shoulder. Charlie struggled to hold onto her composure. She wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him. Not until she knew who had taken her uncle and Abby’s lives.