Chapter 19
Nick Turner
Nick Turner stood at the edge of the roadside.
The acrid stench of melted rubber and scorched metal coated the back of his throat.
The taste would linger for days. One of his deputies finished stringing the yellow crime scene tape around a perimeter that seemed both too small and impossibly vast for what remained of Reed Langley's truck.
The headlights of various emergency vehicles would soon be replaced by floodlights from the forensics team. There was usually conversation among the fire crew as they methodically packed up their gear or the deputies as they canvassed the immediate area.
Not tonight, though.
One of their own had died, and they didn’t need to wait for confirmation.
The fire chief had pulled Nick aside earlier. “Accelerant. No question, Turner. This was deliberate.” While Nick and Reed hadn’t always seen eye to eye, he was a good man. He had always done what he thought best for the residents of Whistlerun.
What did he get in return?
Betrayal.
Nick’s gaze drifted to the other side of the road, where Hadley stood with her phone pressed to her ear. Something in her posture, the way she angled her body away from the scene, suggested she wasn’t being completely truthful with him. He didn’t like being kept in the dark.
The sound of a distant engine made Nick grimace, because the vehicle didn’t belong to the medical examiner. The low, expensive purr was unmistakable. Mayor Warren Caldwell's red Cadillac approached with the entitled confidence of someone who believed every road led to his doorstep.
“Just what I need,” Nick muttered under his breath, adjusting his stance to brace for the coming interaction.
Warren emerged from his vehicle with the same flourish he brought to ribbon-cutting ceremonies and council meetings.
His tailored suit remained unwrinkled despite the late hour, and it wouldn’t be long before he complained about his polished shoes being covered with mud.
The ground had softened due to the water used to extinguish the fire.
Warren took careful steps forward, only once glancing in Hadley’s direction. She’d ended her call, but she didn’t appear as if she were going to join Nick for this upcoming, no doubt unpleasant, conversation.
“Is it true?” Caldwell called out as he approached, pulling a pristine white handkerchief from his breast pocket and pressing it against his nose. The gesture struck Nick as theatrical, though the stench was undeniably brutal. “Is that Langley's truck?”
“Yes, sir,” Nick replied, keeping his voice level despite his irritation. “The fire looks deliberate. The medical examiner and a state forensics team should be here soon, so I’ll have more information for you tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Are you saying Langley was killed? Murdered?”
“The fire chief has already confirmed an accelerant was used, but like I said, we'll know more when the medical examiner gets here and the forensics team can process what's left.”
As if summoned by Nick's words, another set of headlights gradually appeared around the bend, followed by the larger outline of the county forensics van. The lights illuminated the treeline briefly before settling on the scene, adding to the chaotic interplay of shadows and artificial brightness.
“Jesus,” Caldwell muttered, the word muffled by the handkerchief. “This is going to be a nightmare.”
Nick waited, hoping against experience that the mayor's next words would express concern for Reed, for his fiancée, and for the community that had just lost its police chief. Instead, Caldwell delivered exactly what Nick expected.
“The festival is less than two weeks away,” Caldwell continued, his gaze darting between the burnt wreckage and the approaching medical examiner's vehicle. “Tourism is half our annual revenue. We were already expecting a low turnout due to the Claymont case not being solved, and now I’m going to have to explain how—”
“With all due respect, Mayor Caldwell,” Nick interrupted, unable to maintain his diplomatic facade, “a man is dead. A good man. Reed Langley was born and raised in Whistlerun and served this community for the past three years. Maybe we could focus on that before worrying about ticket sales for the harvest festival.”
Caldwell lowered the handkerchief. His expression had hardened, and his politician's mask slipped just enough to reveal the cold calculation beneath.
“Don't lecture me about community service, Sheriff. I've been in public office since you were writing parking tickets. Langley’s death is a tragedy.” Caldwell paused, as if remembering to modulate his tone for the potential audience of nearby officers.
“A terrible loss for Whistlerun, but ignoring the practical implications won't bring him back.”
Nick had learned long ago that arguing with Caldwell in public only undermined his own authority. The mayor thrived on creating the impression that law enforcement served at his pleasure rather than the public's.
“The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.” Nick kept to the facts. “I’m handing this off to the State Police, though my office will be available for assistance. When we have more concrete details, we'll share them with you and the public. Until then, speculation doesn't help anyone.”
Dr. William Zanes had exited his modest sedan, ensuring that he’d left enough space to allow the red Cadillac the ability to leave without issue. The older gentleman took a moment to speak with those who had exited the forensics van.
“We’re fortunate that Zanes took this one himself,” Caldwell murmured as he lifted the handkerchief back in place over his mouth and nose.
He then gestured toward Hadley, who was still leaning against her SUV while monitoring everyone’s position.
“I should have known having her here would stir everything up.”
“Come again?” Nick had no reason to come to Hadley’s defense, but he found that Caldwell’s tone had done just that. “Is there a problem between the two of you that I should know about?”
“Only that the Dawkins family is a stain on this town.” Caldwell switched his focus from Hadley to what was left of Langley’s truck. “Although I can’t help but feel for her. First, she helps send her brother to prison for murder, and now this.”
Nick’s gaze slowly drifted back to Hadley, who now stood straight, her gaze fixed on the mayor with undisguised contempt. Fortunately, the man loved to hear himself talk, and he continued without needing any encouragement.
“You should know that when I made the formal request to have someone give the Claymont case another look, I didn't expect them to send Hadley. Needless to say, I was surprised when Reed reported they were getting along so well.”
“And why wouldn't they get along, Mayor?” Nick asked, his patience running thin. “They graduated in the same class.”
“You don't know?” Caldwell’s eyes narrowed slightly, perhaps savoring the rare opportunity to inform rather than be informed. “Hadley and Reed were high school sweethearts. Quite serious, from what I understand.”
It was no wonder that Hadley had reacted the way she had after pulling up to the scene. She was currently speaking with one of the forensics technicians, no longer giving any outward indication of the personal loss she had just suffered tonight.
“Sheriff Turner,” Zanes said, extending his hand before Nick could reply to Caldwell’s claim.
The doctor's grip was firm despite his age, his palm rough from years of gardening—a hobby he'd once revealed to Nick, claiming the mindless work balanced the grimmer aspects of his profession. “I’ll withhold condolences until I’m certain of the identity of our deceased.”
“We appreciate you coming out personally, Doc.”
“Wouldn't have it any other way,” Zanes replied, releasing Nick's hand. He nodded toward Caldwell without engaging in another conversation. “I best get to it.”
“Do you believe Hadley’s return is connected to this, Turner?” Caldwell asked quietly as if their previous conversation hadn’t been interrupted at all. “The timing seems…significant. If you think it’s best to—”
“The only thing we know at the moment is that we have an unidentified body in Reed Langley’s personal vehicle.” Nick was done appeasing the local politician. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to—”
“I want you both to give a press conference tomorrow morning,” Caldwell announced as if Nick hadn’t spoken. “In front of the police station. Nine sharp. It’s important we present a unified front. Show the community that local and state authorities are working together.”
“I'll be there,” Nick agreed, though he had a recommendation. “I'm not sure it's wise to put Detective Dawkins in the spotlight just yet, though.”
“And why is that?” Caldwell asked, his tone sharpening with interest. “The press already knows she’s here. She's the state's representative on this investigation. Her presence would demonstrate exactly the kind of cooperation we want to project.”
“The media hasn’t connected her past with the town.
You put Hadley in front of the camera, and the reporters will focus on her personal connection to Whistlerun,” Nick explained, choosing his words carefully.
“They'll dig into her childhood, her testimony against her brother, her previous relationship with Langley.
They'll be more interested in that narrative than in Reed's death or the Claymont investigation.”
“Again, I’m not seeing the problem,” Caldwell said as he placed a hand on Nick's shoulder in a gesture of false camaraderie. “A human-interest angle could redirect some of the more…problematic questions about public safety and the festival. It’s a win-win for all involved as far as I can tell.”
No wonder Hadley hadn’t gone out of her way to converse with the mayor.
She’d known exactly how Caldwell wanted to spin this situation.
Nick deliberately shifted his weight, rolling his shoulder in a motion that forced Caldwell to drop his hand.
The mayor's eyes widened slightly at the intentional breaking of contact.
“Let me be clear about something, Mayor.” Nick was beyond caring about political niceties. “If you try in any way to turn the media's focus toward Detective Dawkins and off the facts of this case, I won't care about titles or jurisdictions or political consequences.”
Nick faced the man, ensuring his next statement couldn't be misinterpreted for anything else than a genuine warning.
“I'll arrest you for interfering with an active investigation.”
Caldwell's face registered genuine shock at the threat, and Nick had almost certainly just made himself an enemy. It wasn’t such a difficult accomplishment, given his position.
“You must have misunderstood me, Sheriff Turner. It was merely a suggestion,” Caldwell stressed with a tight smile, if the thin lines around his eyes were any indication.
“After all, it’s our responsibility to consider all aspects of public communication during a crisis.
Please know that we're on the same side here.”
“That’s good to know, Mayor Caldwell,” Nick responded in kind right as a news van pulled up behind Hadley’s SUV.
He noticed the way she discreetly moved to the front of her vehicle.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to inform the media that we’re not releasing a statement until morning…
when I’ll be the one giving a press conference. ”