Chapter Fourteen #4
“Who?” Elle began to tremble. Because now it was real. Now there were more people. No longer could she hold on to any hope that somehow this was all a misunderstanding. That somehow Reece Miller was completely responsible and there were no more bodies.
“Dora Crick in Spokane. She was the skipper’s employer.”
Elle was numb once again. She knew that name.
“Elle?” Ronan asked softly.
She looked up and met his worried gaze. “She ran the diner where I found the skipper. Insisted that she hadn’t seen him, but all my sources said that he was there.
He’d made some friends while he’d been working there, and they came to his assistance when I put him in handcuffs.
They started a riot. My partner on that case got us out, but there was considerable damage to the diner.
Dora Crick threatened to sue me for the destruction, but I thought she was just making noise.
I put her out of my mind. I didn’t know she was dead. I swear it.”
Ronan nodded once and Elle wasn’t sure what that meant. Did he believe her?
“Who knew she’d threatened you with a lawsuit?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She was waiting next to the Tahoe when I checked out of my hotel the next morning. She threatened me as I loaded my gear. I never said a word to her. I’d already been threatened with lawsuits several other times, so I just ignored her and drove away.”
“If the police had known this, they would have questioned you. Figured you had motive. Did they question you?”
“No,” Elle murmured. “There were other illegal activities going on there, so I’m guessing that’s the direction the investigation took.
When we were waiting at the diner for the skipper to arrive for his shift, we saw several drug deals go down, mainly speed.
It was a college town. I also heard a bookie at a corner table taking bets on Major League Baseball games.
There was a lot of money changing hands at that place.
Once I’d gotten back home, I made an anonymous call to the local PD, told them about the drugs and gambling.
Used my burner phone, which was how I always reported crimes I witnessed while investigating.
I honestly didn’t think about the case after that.
There were so many skippers. Always a new one to return. ”
“The news article I found says the police believed the motive in Crick’s murder to be drug-related,” Alexis confirmed.
“That’s good to know.” Ronan turned to Alexis. “When did the homicide happen, Ms. Hellier? And how?”
“A year ago, June. Dora Crick was shot in the head either when Elle was still in Spokane or shortly after she left. The time of death couldn’t be accurately ascertained.”
Ronan went still. “Why not?”
“The news articles don’t say.” Alexis narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Was there an arrest?”
“Not that I could find,” Alexis said. “There was a reward offered by Crime Stoppers, but no report of any arrests. Why?”
Ronan shook his head. “I can’t say right now. Let me contact the Spokane PD and I’ll have some answers for you soon. Why don’t you two go back to the inn and get some rest?”
Feeling like a puppet on a string, Elle started to rise from her chair. But her knees gave way and she dropped back down, fury burning away the numbness. Rage giving her something to feel.
“No. I know that I hid things from you before, but now I’ve told you everything.
Don’t say you can’t tell me when this has everything to do with me.
” Her heart was beating too hard. Too fast. “People are dead because of me, and don’t tell me it’s not my fault.
I am the common denominator. I’m the one being framed and I need to make this stop. So tell me.”
Alexis slid her arm around Elle’s shoulders.
“It’s going to be okay, Ellie. First, it is not your fault.
You can’t take this personally, like you caused it to happen.
This psycho would have gone after whoever Sara had assigned.
Second, I think the detective doesn’t want to say because he can’t put an exact time of death on Kasey Arnold or Steve Garfield.
I heard some of the deputies talking when we were in the police station tonight.
They said that Steve Garfield’s body was barely recognizable from the bloating.
One of them said he had to run outside to throw up.
Another said that heaters had been intentionally used to obfuscate TOD.
The young woman’s body was also more decomposed than it should have been in water that cold.
Whoever killed them went to some trouble to blur the timelines. ”
Ronan didn’t say anything, but the expression on his face said that Alexis was correct.
“Why would they do that?” Elle asked, hating the vulnerability she heard in her own voice. But she knew why. “I’d have trouble establishing an alibi if there was a range of days when the murders were committed.”
Alexis tightened her hold. “I think so. So does Detective Clarke.”
“She’s right, Elle. Get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow morning. I promise.”
“Okay.” She’d go back to the inn, but she didn’t think sleep would happen tonight.
She had some research of her own to do.