Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
The next morning, Sam stood as Derek and Leanne McDaniels entered his office, their faces drawn with grief and something else—tension, maybe even fear. He gestured to the chairs across from his desk.
“Thank you for coming,” Sam said, his voice low and respectful. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Derek nodded stiffly while Leanne murmured a quiet “Thank you.” They sat, shoulders rigid, eyes darting around the room.
Sam leaned forward, hands clasped on his desk. “I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you both some questions about your father.”
“Of course,” Derek said, his voice rough. “Anything to help find who did this.”
Sam nodded, studying their faces. “When was the last time you spoke with your father?”
Leanne answered first, her voice barely above a whisper. “Three days ago. He called us both.”
“Together?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
Derek shook his head. “No, separately. He... He had some news for us.”
Sam waited, sensing there was more to come. After a moment of tense silence, Leanne continued.
“Dad told us he was planning to change his will,” she said, her eyes fixed on her hands in her lap. “He wanted to leave both his properties to some environmental trust instead of us.”
Sam’s eyebrows shot up. “Both? Including the cottage?”
Derek nodded, his jaw clenched. “All of it. Said he wanted to ‘protect the land’ or something. He’d been talking like that for months, getting more paranoid about the property.”
“Did he say why?” Sam asked, leaning forward.
Leanne shook her head. “Just kept saying there were people who wanted to ruin the land and he wanted to preserve it. We thought he was being dramatic, or maybe...” She trailed off, glancing at her brother.
“We wondered if he might be getting senile,” Derek finished, his voice hard. “Turns out he was serious.”
Sam nodded slowly, processing the information. “Did he say who these people were?”
Leanne and Derek shook their heads.
“And the will hadn’t been changed yet?” Sam asked.
“No,” Derek confirmed. “He was meeting with his lawyer this week to finalize it.”
The implications hung heavy in the air. Sam kept his face neutral as he asked, “And how did you both feel about this change?”
The siblings exchanged a look. “We were shocked, of course,” Leanne said carefully. “Hurt, even. But it was Dad’s property to do with as he wished.”
Derek snorted, earning a sharp look from his sister. “What?” he snapped. “Are we pretending we were fine with it? That land’s been in our family for generations. It should have stayed that way.”
Sam watched the interplay between them, noting every reaction. “I understand this must be difficult,” he said. “Just a few more questions. Where were you both the night your father was killed?”
Derek straightened in his chair, his face a mask of indignation. “Are you seriously asking us for alibis? We’re his children, for God’s sake!”
Leanne placed a calming hand on her brother’s arm. “Derek, please. I’m sure it’s just standard procedure.” She turned to Sam, her eyes wide. “I was at home in Boston. I had a Zoom call with my book club until about ten p.m. Several people can verify that.”
Sam nodded, jotting down notes. “And you, Derek?”
Derek’s jaw clenched. “I was at a bar with colleagues. We were celebrating landing a new client.” He pulled out his phone, tapping furiously. “I’ve got receipts, time-stamped photos, whatever you need.”
“You can’t seriously think we had anything to do with this,” Leanne said, her voice trembling. “He was our father.”
Sam held up a placating hand. “I assure you, this is standard procedure. We have to rule out every possibility, no matter how unlikely.” He paused, bracing for their reaction to his next request. “I’ll also need to get your fingerprints and DNA samples.”
“What?” Derek exploded, half rising from his chair. “This is outrageous! We came here to help, not to be treated like criminals!”
Leanne tugged at her brother’s sleeve, urging him to sit back down. “Derek, please. Let’s just cooperate and get this over with.” She turned to Sam, her face pale but composed. “Of course, Chief Mason. Whatever you need.”
Derek sank back into his chair, glaring at Sam. “Fine. But I want it on record that we’re only agreeing to this under protest.”
Sam nodded, keeping his expression neutral. “Duly noted. I appreciate your cooperation. It’s crucial in helping us find who did this to your father.”
As he led them to the processing room for fingerprinting and DNA collection, Sam couldn’t shake the feeling that there was much more to this story.
The changed will, the secrets Garvin thought needed protection, the tension between the siblings—they all pointed to a motive far deeper than he’d initially suspected.
Jo looked up from her paperwork as Sam emerged from his office, Garvin’s children in tow. She watched as he handed them off to Reese for processing, her eyes narrowing slightly at the tension visible in their shoulders.
Sam caught her gaze and gave a subtle nod. After years of working together, Jo could read volumes in that small gesture. Something about the siblings didn’t add up.
As Reese led Derek and Leanne away, Sam made his way over to Jo’s desk, perching on the edge with a sigh.
“So?” Jo prompted, keeping her voice low.
Sam ran a hand through his hair. “Garvin was planning to change his will,” he said, his tone measured. “Wanted to leave the entire property to some environmental trust instead of the kids.”
Jo’s eyebrows shot up. “The whole property? Including my cottage?”
Sam nodded. “Apparently. But here’s the kicker—he hadn’t finalized it yet. Was supposed to meet with his lawyer this week.”
“Let me guess,” Jo said, leaning back in her chair. “Bruce Benedict?”
“Got it in one,” Sam confirmed. “We’ll pay him a visit, see what he knows.”
Jo nodded, her mind already racing with the implications. “The kids can’t have been happy about the change.”
“Understatement of the year,” Sam muttered. He glanced around the office then lowered his voice further. “Listen, something’s off with those two. I can feel it.”
Jo watched as Sam stood and casually made his way over to Wyatt’s desk. She couldn’t hear what was said, but she saw Sam slip Wyatt a piece of paper, speaking in low tones. Wyatt nodded, his face serious as he immediately turned to his computer.
Sam returned to Jo’s desk. “I’ve asked Wyatt to dig into Derek and Leanne. Phone records, recent travel, anything that might tell us if they’ve been in town lately.”
“Good call,” Jo agreed. She hesitated then asked, “Any word on Marnie?”
Sam shook his head. “Wyatt tailed her for a few hours last night. Said it was mind-numbingly boring. She went home and stayed there.”
Jo frowned. “That seems... too easy.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sam said.
Reese strode in, her normally cheerful face creased with a mix of exasperation and determination. “Derek and Leanne are processed and gone,” she announced, her tone clipped.
Jo looked up from her desk, noticing the slight furrow in Reese’s brow. “Everything okay, Reese?”
Reese sighed, holding up a small, colorful packet. “Look what I found in the supply closet, buried behind a stack of printer paper. Again.” She shook her head, clearly annoyed at the disruption to her orderly domain.
Sam leaned back in his chair, a knowing look crossing his face. “Let me guess. Another one of Major’s secret stashes?”
“Exactly,” Reese confirmed, her eyes scanning the room for the culprit. “I swear, that cat thinks he’s running some kind of underground treat operation in my supply closet.”
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Major stretched atop the filing cabinet, his green eyes laser focused on the treat in Reese’s hand. His tail swished back and forth with barely contained anticipation, one paw stretching out demandingly.
Lucy, who had been dozing near Jo’s desk, lifted her head, suddenly alert to the possibility of snacks.
Jo shot the German Shepherd a warning look. “Don’t even think about it, girl. That’s definitely not for you.”
Reese, despite her annoyance, couldn’t resist Major’s silent plea. She took a treat out of the little bag and tossed it onto the top of the cabinet. The cat stopped it from sliding off with surprising dexterity and immediately settled down to enjoy his prize.
“I don’t know how he keeps getting into the treat drawer,” Reese muttered, straightening a stack of papers on her desk.
“Sorry, Reese,” Sam said, though his amused tone suggested he found the whole situation more entertaining than problematic. “We’ll try to keep a closer eye on his treat-hiding activities.”
Reese nodded then seemed to remember something. Her face brightened slightly. “Oh, there is some actual case-related news. The lab results came back on that hair tie we found at the crime scene. There were roots attached to the hairs.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted, all attention now on Reese.
“That’s great,” Jo said, leaning forward. “Any matches?”
“I’m running it through CODIS now,” Reese replied, her efficiency shining through despite her earlier frustration. “It could take a while to get a hit, if we get one at all. But it’s a solid lead.”
Sam nodded, standing up. “Good work, Reese. Keep us posted on that. Jo, Lucy, and I are heading out to talk to Bruce Benedict about Garvin’s will. Let us know immediately if anything comes up with those DNA results.”
At the mention of an outing, Lucy’s ears perked up, but her eyes remained fixed on Major, who was making a show of enjoying his treat atop the filing cabinet.
“Come on, Lucy,” Sam called, grabbing his jacket. “Time to go.”
Lucy whined softly, clearly torn between her duty and the possibility of Major dropping some crumbs.
Sam sighed, a hint of a smile on his face. “All right, how about this? We’ll swing by Brewed Awakening. I think they just got a fresh batch of those doughnut holes you love.”
The magic words “doughnut holes” had Lucy on her feet in an instant, suddenly the picture of a dutiful police dog ready for action.
Jo chuckled, reaching for her own jacket. “Well, that did it. Let’s go see what Bruce has to say about Garvin’s sudden change of heart.”
As they headed for the door, Reese called after them, “I’ll let you know as soon as we get anything on those DNA results. And Sam?”
He turned back.
“Maybe we should think about getting a lock for that treat drawer.”
Sam nodded, his expression a mix of amusement and resignation. “Add it to the budget request, Reese. Though something tells me Major would find a way around that too.”