Chapter 12 #2
"If nothing else, it made sure you cleaned your room regularly," I say. "But thinking about it as an adult, that's kinda crazy, Cole."
"It's a lot crazy. But I suppose he saw more than a few cases where something awful happened to a kid because the parents didn't know what was going on in their kid's life.
He wasn't about to let that happen to me, so he made sure he knew who I was hanging out with, and he damn sure knew I wasn’t bringing drugs or alcohol into the home. "
I snicker. "I'm surprised he didn't do monthly piss tests and breathalyzers when you came home."
"After graduation and just before I left for the academy, I asked him about that, as a matter of fact."
"Oh? What'd he say?"
"He knew I was drinking, and he knew I was likely smoking pot every once in a while.
That's part of growing up, he said, and he saw that I was usually the responsible one of the group.
He said he would have tested me if he thought it was problematic, like I was coming home drunk or my grades were slipping or something.
The tossing of my room and truck was a tactic to keep me honest, he said.
And also made sure my car and room were clean. "
"Your dad was a fascinating man, Cole."
His gaze goes distant and shuttered, as it does when his dad comes up. “Yeah, he was."
I touch his forearm. "Hey. What's up?"
"I just miss him."
"Bullshit," I say. "I mean, obviously you miss him, but that's not what that look was."
He frowns, sighs. Thinks. Meets my eyes. "How much do you know about his death?"
I shrug, thinking. "Uh? Not much." I look up and to the left.
"It was a car accident, wasn't it? Like, he drove off the road and into a tree.
I remember seeing all the posts about it, how shocked everyone was.
He was such a beloved member of the community, so his death shocked everyone.
" I hum thoughtfully. "To be honest, I always thought it was kind of weird.
Your dad was a careful man. I was in the car while he was driving a whole lot.
He used to drive you and me around before we got our licenses because my dad never would, and my mom didn't and still doesn't drive.
I obviously wasn't here, so I don't know anything firsthand, but I just remember thinking how weird it was for a man like Craig Mannix to die in a car accident on a clear night in July.
It just made no sense to me and I never really found out exactly what happened. I guess I assumed a deer."
Cole is silent for a suspiciously long time.
"Cole? What is it?"
"I don't think Dad's death was an accident. I think he was murdered."
I gasp. "What? Cole…what?"
He nods. "I've suspected it the whole time.
Like you said, it was a clear, beautiful night in July when he died.
I saw the original forensic report on the car, and there was nothing wrong with its engine, transmission, brakes, or steering systems. The responding officers took photos of the scene, and there are no skid marks like he braked and/or swerved for a deer.
And I know Dad—he lived up here in deer country his whole life except for his years in the Army.
He knew how to watch for deer. He was no city boy who didn't know better than to jam the brakes and yank the wheel.
I saw the tox screen, too. No drugs, no alcohol.
I saw the M-E report—no signs of a stroke, aneurysm, or heart attack.
He was perfectly healthy. So all the available evidence says there is no logical, discernible reason why he ran off the road and into a tree at forty miles per hour on a road he knew like the back of his hand.
Cell phone records, by the way, also show that he wasn't on his phone at the time either, nor were there any dispatches that might have distracted him. "
I absorb all this. "Damn. Okay. So…his death was super suspicious, then."
Cole nods. “Not many people know, though, other than myself and the guys. His successor, Beasley, closed the case as an accident almost immediately. Called it driver error, distraction of some kind. The radio, his walkie, his phone. That was it. Case closed. No further investigation."
"But you don't agree."
“No. Never have. I just know Dad, and distracted driving was simply not something he would ever allow to happen. He knew all too damn well the consequences. Same as me."
I frown. "Okay, so we accept that it was suspicious. But…why? Who? What possible motive could anyone have? Everyone loved your dad."
"This is the other thing no one knows about." he pauses, and his voice drops even though we're alone in his home. "There was a disappearance in oh-three—Amber Brunner.”
“I remember hearing about that,” I say, thinking back. “We were, what? Eleven at the time?”
I nod. “Yeah, about that.” I think about it.
“Oh-Three? Yeah, we’d have been…eleven.” I let out a breath and then plunge onward.
“My theory is that my dad suspected Beasley either committed the murder or covered it up, and when Beasley found out about Dad’s suspicion, he killed him and made it look like an accident. ”
She stares at me. "Cole, are…are you really suggesting that Sheriff Beasley murdered your father to cover up another murder?”
He nods slowly, heavily. "I've been trying for years to come up with any other theory, Lace. But it's the only explanation that fits the evidence I have, which isn't much."
"But…" I blink a few times, thinking. “What makes you think it's all tied to Beasley?" I say.
"An excellent question," Cole says. “That’s the problem—I can’t connect anything to him. Not with evidence that would hold up in court. But if you look at everything from ten thousand feet, it's almost impossible to come to any other conclusion."
"Well, my knowledge of case law is pretty rusty,” I say, “but I am a licensed lawyer. Lay it out for me."
Cole shrugs. "I mean, I sort of have. But…You want to see my investigation materials?"
I give him a droll stare. "I'm a woman with too much time on her hands and a law degree. I watch as much Dateline as I do Real Housewives. I love watching the murders, Cole."
You love watching the murders," Cole says, cackling. "Nice."
"I mean, I don't love that someone died, obviously, but the investigative and legal process? That I do love."
Alright, well, let’s get dressed and head to the office."