Deadly Echoes (23 page)

“Oh my goodness!” I couldn't believe the woman I saw in the mirror was me. The liner made my eyes look so much larger.

“Where did you learn to do that?”

Cicely smiled. “I watched Mom for years. Sometimes for fun, she'd put makeup on me. Just to teach me how to do it when I was older.”

“You did a great job, Cicely. Thank you.”

She reached out to touch my face lightly. “You're so pretty, Aunt Sarah. I hope I look like you when I'm your age.”

I was so stunned, it took a moment for me to respond. “I'd think you'd want to look like your mother. Why would you want to look like me?”

She frowned at me as if she didn't understand. “I look more like your daughter than Mom's. She even said that. She liked my red hair because I reminded her of you. She loved you a lot.”

I tried to push back the emotions that flooded me, but I wasn't successful.
“Hannah said she'd always wanted to be
just like you.”

“I didn't mean to upset you, Aunt Sarah,” Cicely said, her expression full of concern.

“It's okay, honey. Knowing your mom felt that way means a lot to me.”

She didn't respond, but I could tell by the look on her face
that she was pleased. After she left I checked out my image in the mirror again. I looked good, and I felt good too.

“The world won't end if I wear a little makeup,” I whispered to my reflection. Why had I avoided it for so long? Maybe I wasn't a model, and perhaps I'd never be as striking as Hannah, but suddenly it didn't matter.

I was on my way downstairs when I heard the doorbell. By the time I got downstairs, Janet had opened the front door, and Paul and Mike were standing in the living room.

“Sorry about the snow,” Paul said apologetically, staring down at his boots.

“Not a problem,” Janet said with a smile. “I put a mat down. Just wipe your feet and give me your coats. I'll hang them up in the laundry room so they can dry out.”

Paul's eyes widened when he saw me, and he smiled. “You look very nice.”

I returned his smile. “Thank you. How were the roads?”

“We didn't have much trouble getting here. Mike's SUV drives better than mine. Even with snow chains.”

“I'm glad you made it,” I said.

Cicely came down the stairs behind me, and Paul greeted her. Since she'd stayed in her room when Mike was here the last time, I introduced them.

“Very nice to meet you, Cicely,” Mike said. “I'm so sorry about your mom.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She dabbed at her cheeks with her hand and turned away. It was obvious she was still very emotional after reading Hannah's Facebook message.

I could tell by the look on Mike's face that Cicely's reaction had touched him.

“Dinner's ready,” Janet said. “I made some coffee to help warm you up.”

“That's exactly what I need right now,” Mike said with a smile. “Thank you.”

We followed her into the dining room. She'd already set the table and put out several side dishes of food, along with a large carafe of coffee. She went into the kitchen and came out a few seconds later carrying a huge bowl of beef stew.

“I should have helped you,” I said. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be silly,” she said with a smile. “You were busy. Besides, you know I love cooking for people. I'm so happy to have a full table.”

“It's good of you to ask me over,” Mike said.

He seemed a little different tonight. Quieter. More introspective. I wondered why.

After Janet said the blessing, we started eating. Eventually the conversation turned to families. Paul told a funny story about his childhood, so I felt it gave me an opening to ask Mike about himself.

“You've never mentioned a family, Mike,” I said. “Are you married?”

He shook his head. “Not anymore. My wife divorced me about five years ago.”

“I'm sorry.”

He shrugged. “It happens. I'm not happy about it, but I've come to terms with the situation.”

“What about children?” Janet asked.

He nodded. “A daughter. Just about Cicely's age.” He flashed a quick smile at my niece, who shyly returned his smile.

“What's her name?” Cicely asked.

“Kaitlin.”

“A beautiful name,” I said. “Does she live near you?”

He shook his head. “No. Kaitlin and her mother live in Tennessee. I don't get to see her much. This year I'm going for Christmas. I'll get to spend a few days with her, and I'm really looking forward to it.”

It was clear that Mike missed his daughter. Seeing the big man's vulnerable side made him seem more human. Paul appeared relaxed around him. I had to wonder if he was ready to share everything we'd discovered with Mike. Time would tell.

We finished dinner and Janet announced she'd made a cheesecake for dessert. “Cicely and I will take our dessert upstairs,” she said. “You all can carry yours into the living room or stay here at the dining room table. What would work best?”

I looked at Paul.

“Could we stay at the table?” he asked. “That way we have more room to work.”

I nodded. “Sure, that's fine.”

“Come on, Cicely,” Janet said. “Why don't you help me serve the cheesecake, and then you and I will go upstairs. I need a Scrabble rematch. You beat me pretty badly this afternoon.”

Cicely smiled. “That would be awesome.”

I winked at Janet. I was certain she'd allowed Cicely to win. She was great at Scrabble.

After the three of us got cheesecake and fresh coffee, Janet and Cicely said their good-nights and went upstairs. Sure enough, Paul asked me to get all my papers, along with any notes I needed. I went up and gathered everything I'd put together in a folder and went back downstairs. Paul and Mike were talking in hushed tones when I came into the room.

“I was telling Mike about the phone and your discovery con
cerning John Smith,” Paul said as I sat down. “This is the best lead we've had.”

“Did you check out the numbers I gave you?” I asked.

Paul nodded. “The number for
JR
isn't working. It was a burner phone. No way to trace it.”

“What's a burner phone?” I asked.

“It's a prepaid phone,” Mike said. “A cheap, disposable phone that can be purchased in any store. Since it's not connected to any particular phone service, there's no way to track it.”

“Some drug dealers use them,” Paul said.

I frowned. “Why would Hannah have the number of a drug dealer?”

Paul shook his head. “Burner phones are used for all kinds of reasons, Sarah. Sometimes it's just because the user can't afford another kind of phone.”

“And what about the number for John Smith?”

“That number was a landline,” Paul said. “And it belonged to a John Smith. But he's moved, and there was nothing indicating he has a new number.”

“You let me take care of that,” Mike said. “As a PI I have resources you don't have, Paul.”

“I'm sure that's true,” Paul replied. “And I probably don't want to know about most of them.”

Mike laughed. “You'd be correct about that.”

“So after Hannah is killed, this John Smith moves? That's rather suspicious, isn't it?”

Mike nodded. “Very suspicious. That's why we need to find him. It's too bad he was Martin Summers's only survivor. We probably could have found him through his family.”

Paul looked at me. “Did you call Claire Freeman?”

“Yes, I did. And it was very interesting.” Paul's mouth dropped
open when I told him about the flowers. “That's not all,” I said. “Some guy Claire hadn't seen before started showing up at work to see Hannah a few days before she died. Unfortunately Claire never saw his face.”

Paul drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. “So we know that Hannah was upset about something. The man who showed up at work was probably connected to whatever was going on. But she really panicked when she got the flowers. That's when she decided to leave.”

“She got the flowers during the day, and she was killed that night,” I said. “The same day she wrote me the letter. Doesn't this ruin the theory that Hannah was killed by a burglar looking for drugs or money? Whoever sent the flowers was obviously targeting her. He planned to kill her.”

“It looks that way to me,” Paul said. “I'm still confused why the police didn't ask the same questions.”

“Maybe they did,” Mike said. “But in their minds the flowers don't have to be from the killer. Hannah could have gotten the flowers from anyone, and a stranger still could have killed her.”

“That's ridiculous,” I fumed. “It seems clear to me.” I was disappointed in Mike's reaction. I thought the flowers were the smoking gun we'd been looking for.

“One thing I don't understand,” Paul said, frowning. “You told me Cicely didn't see any flowers at the house the night her mother died.”

I nodded. “That's right.”

“But they had to be there.”

“Wait a minute,” I said slowly. “I think I might be able to explain that. When I was inside Hannah's house, I found a white orchid lying on the floor in her bedroom. What if she had the flowers in her room?”

“But if she hated them so much, why wouldn't she just throw them away?” Paul asked. “Why keep them at all? And why put them in her bedroom?”

“Maybe she kept the flowers because she wanted to find out where they came from,” Mike said suddenly. “If I were Hannah, I'd contact the florist and see who bought them.” He looked at me. “I read Hannah's file. There wasn't anything that identified the florist. You didn't see anything in Hannah's room that might give us a clue about that, did you?”

I shook my head. “I'll call Claire again and ask her about the company that delivered them.” I sighed. “Sorry. I was just so excited about what she told me, I didn't think of it.”

“You've done a great job,” Paul said soothingly. “Now we need to find out how all these clues go together.”

I pulled the newspaper articles out from the stack of papers on the table. “Here's the article about the murders of Martin Lewis Summers and his wife, Elise. Obviously, Hannah saw similarities between these murders and our parents' murders and contacted Mr. Smith. I think he might be the man who showed up at Claire's office. We know he called Hannah several times. And we also know that Cicely met him. His stepmother worked at the same newspaper where my mom worked, but it's a big place. Mom was a secretary, and according to the obituary, Elise Summers was a reporter, just like the woman who gave Hannah the file. They didn't work in the same department, so I'm not sure how they were linked. Mr. and Mrs. Summers were killed in almost the same way my parents were. Stabbed. It was called a burglary too. But in their case their kids were already grown and out of the house, so they were alone when they were attacked.”

“Well, I think I have all the information I need for now,”
Mike said, standing up. “My job is to look for John Smith.” He pointed at me. “You find out from Claire what flower shop sent the flowers.”

“Isn't it possible the police already know this?” Paul asked.

Mike nodded. “Sure. But remember, they've basically closed this case. I'm afraid they never took Sarah's initial claim about the flowers seriously.”

“Doug did,” I said.

Mike shrugged. “He wasn't totally convinced either, Sarah. But he thought the coincidence should be investigated.”

I felt a rush of anger. “Excuse me, but someone sent them to her. She had them. That's an important clue. Someone was sending a message. Someone was planning a murder.”

“Slow down,” Mike said. “I realize that. I'm just trying to show you how the police think.”

“I'm sorry, Mike. It's just that sometimes it seems that no matter what we learn, it doesn't get us any closer to the truth.”

“Let's hope that's going to turn around,” Paul said. “I'm not willing to give up.”

“Nor am I,” Mike said. “We'll just keep going until we find out what really happened. Okay?”

I nodded. “Mike, do you know a Captain Bentley with the Kansas City Police Department?”

“I know who he is, but I never had much contact with him. He and I started on the force about the same time, I think. Almost twenty-five years ago.”

“He was really nice to me while I was in Kansas City. Said if Cicely and I needed anything we should contact him. What about bringing him in on what we're doing?”

Mike shook his head. “Absolutely not. Anson Bentley bleeds blue. If he thought anyone was working on his case behind his
back, he'd be all over us. Besides, he might be the one who closed your sister's case. We can't be sure.”

I nodded. The veins on Mike's neck stood out. Hearing Captain Bentley's name had certainly caused a reaction.

Paul told me that he'd call me tomorrow and they left, leaving me feeling oddly unsettled. Why had Mike reacted so violently when I brought up Captain Bentley? I packed up all the pages on the table and took them upstairs.

As I lay in bed that night, I could almost hear Hannah's voice warning me to be careful.

The next two days passed by quickly. The new storm had dumped almost a foot of snow, but a couple of days with temperatures above freezing helped to clear the roads. I was especially busy at school, which helped to keep my mind off Hannah's death. By the weekend, I was ready for some time off. There was no school on Monday because William and some other men from the Mennonite church needed that day to replace the furnace. Even though the work would start today, they'd asked to have until Monday evening to finish their task. I didn't mind the day off because I needed time to prepare for the tests I would be giving before the winter break.

Janet enjoyed cooking large breakfasts on Saturdays, so I woke up to the aroma of bacon sizzling in a pan and Janet's special pancakes cooking on the grill. She liked to cook bacon and then crumble it up and put it in her pancake batter. Although I was certain it wasn't the healthiest of breakfast dishes, it was absolutely delicious. I dressed in jeans and a comfortable sweatshirt, put my hair in a ponytail, and went downstairs to
the kitchen. After eating more than I should, I was helping Janet with the dishes when I heard a knock on the front door.

“Are you expecting anyone?” Janet asked.

“No. I have dinner with Mike and Paul tomorrow night, but nothing's planned for today.”

I wiped my wet hands on my apron and went to the front door. Murphy was already there, sitting in front of the door, staring at it.

“Move, Murphy,” I said, pushing him away gently with my foot. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see Captain Anson Bentley standing there.

“Hi, Sarah,” he said with a smile. “I hope I'm not intruding. I was in this area and remembered you lived in Sanctuary. Thought I'd stop by and check on you.”

I was glad to see him, but Mike's warning echoed in my mind.
“Anson Bentley
bleeds blue. If he thought anyone was working on his
case behind his back, he'd be all over us.”

“Please come in,” I said. My hand went to my hair, and I looked down at my dirty apron. “I'm sorry. I must look a mess. I wasn't expecting company.”

He smiled, and I was surprised once again by how attractive he was. He was so charismatic I couldn't help feeling drawn to him.

“I think you look lovely. Besides, Saturday was created for relaxing. If you're busy, I could come by another time.”

“Absolutely not. Please come in.” I held the door open, and he accepted my invitation.

At that moment Janet came into the living room with Cicely on her heels. They both looked at Captain Bentley in surprise.

I introduced him to Janet. “And you remember Captain Bentley, don't you, Cicely? You met him outside your house in Kansas City?”

She gave him a shy smile. “Yes, I do. Hello.”

He returned her smile. “Hello, Cicely. I just stopped by to see how you and your aunt are doing. How are you getting along?”

“Fine, thank you.”

“Captain, would you like some breakfast?” Janet asked. “I was just getting ready to put some pancakes on the griddle for Cicely. It wouldn't be any trouble to fix some for you.”

“That sounds wonderful, but unfortunately I already ate breakfast. Cold cereal and juice. The aroma coming from your kitchen tells me I made an unfortunate choice.”

Janet laughed. “Well, at least I can get you some coffee, can't I?”

“I would really appreciate that. Thank you.”

She held her hand out and came over to me. “Give me your apron. I'll finish the dishes. You and Captain Bentley make yourselves comfortable.”

I quickly took off my apron and handed it to her. “Thanks, Janet.”

“Please,” he said. “Everyone, just call me Anson. I'm not here officially.” He flashed another warm smile.

“That's an unusual name,” Janet said. “I don't think I've heard it before.”

“It's a family name. The same as my father's. I also have two uncles with the middle name Anson. And a great-grandfather with the first name Anson. Different middle names though.”

“A great family tradition. You must all be very close.”

“As much as any family, I guess. My dad died a few years ago, so I'm honored to carry his name. He was an amazing man and a top-notch detective. I've spent my career trying to be like him.”

“I'm sure he'd be proud of you,” Janet said.

Janet and Cicely said good-bye and headed back to the kitchen. I asked Anson to sit down.

“Thank you,” he said as he lowered himself onto the couch. “I won't keep you. I just wanted to bring you up-to-date on your sister's case and make sure you and Cicely are okay.”

“Have you learned anything new?” I asked.

Anson's eyes narrowed. “Yes. In fact, I'm becoming convinced there is more to your sister's murder than just a break-in and burglary.”

I felt my pulse quicken. “What do you mean? I heard Steven Hanks was blamed for Hannah's death and the case had been closed.”

He looked toward the kitchen. “Look, I'm not sure this is the time or place to get into details. I'm going to be in the area for a couple of days. Is there a way we could meet somewhere for dinner? I'm busy today, but I'm free tomorrow night.”

“I . . . I'm not sure. Could you excuse me just a minute while I make a quick call?”

He nodded. “Certainly. But don't change any plans on my account.”

I stood up. “I really want to hear what you have to say. It's just—”

“Sarah, I know that a local deputy sheriff is helping you investigate this case. He called someone at the department and asked questions. I'm not upset about it. In fact, I applaud him. I also know that Mike Templeton is in town.” He hesitated a moment before saying, “Mike has a lot of experience with the Kansas City Police Department. But”—he stared down at his hands—“I feel I need to warn you to . . . be careful.”

“Of Mike? Why do you say that?”

“I don't want to worry you unnecessarily. Mike's retirement wasn't completely his idea. There were some problems.”

“I don't understand,” I said.

Anson frowned. “I'm not comfortable saying anything more. Just be on your guard. I feel responsible for you and your niece.”

“Captain—”

“Anson, please.”

“Anson, the only reason we've been pursuing Hannah's murder is because we want your department to look in the right place. Not only to find the killer but also to find out the real reason she was murdered. If Steven Hanks killed Hannah, and I don't think he did, someone else was behind it. Someone who was also involved with my parents' deaths.”

“I understand why you're concerned, Sarah. I want you to know that I'm working hard behind the scenes to find the truth.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That's all I want, Anson. I'm not trying to get in your way. Really.”

He leaned forward and took my hand. “I know that. It's our fault you felt you had to do this much. I talked to Doug before he died, and I have his file. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to solve this crime.”

“Th-thank you,” I said, trying to stay calm. “Let me call my friend Paul. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear this. We're meeting tomorrow night for dinner, and I'd love to have you join us.”

“I'd like that.”

I jogged up the stairs. Anson seemed sincere. Since he was directly connected to the police department and had a job with authority behind it, having him on our side was fantastic news. I went to my room and called Paul. He answered his phone right away. I told him about Anson and repeated what he'd said about helping us.

“Boy, I don't know, Sarah,” he said slowly. “Mike seemed pretty opposed to telling this guy anything.”

“Anson said Mike didn't just retire from the police department because he was injured. He said there were other problems.”

“What kind of problems?”

“I don't know. I didn't feel right asking. As far as Mike's claim that you could get in trouble, it isn't true. Anson isn't upset by your involvement. In fact, he's apologetic for not getting to the bottom of this sooner.”

“So what do you want to do? If we bring Bentley in, we may lose Mike.”

“We have the ear of a captain in the Kansas City Police Department, Paul. Isn't that what we've been working toward all along?”

Paul was silent as he considered what I'd said. “Why don't you tell him to meet us for dinner? I'll deal with Mike.”

“I'm glad you said that, because I already asked him.”

Paul's sigh floated through the phone. “I hope this is the right decision. If it's not . . .”

“We shouldn't be so suspicious. Anson has been supportive from the start. And he took the time to come to my house. Why would he do that if he was out to get us?”

“I agree. It's just that Mike's instincts seem pretty good.”

“If he really cares about solving Hannah's murder, he'll stick with us.”

“All right. It's your call. I think I should call Mike and tell him though.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Maybe it would be better to just let him find out at dinner. It's not his business who we bring into this.”

“I don't want to blindside him. I've got to give him a heads-up.”

“Go ahead if you feel better about it.”

“I'll pick you up about six-thirty.”

“See you then.”

I put the phone down and took a deep breath. Was I doing the right thing? It seemed right to me. Having Anson Bentley on our side was a great victory. One that we couldn't ignore.

I headed downstairs and found Anson right where I'd left him. I sat down on the couch. “Paul and I are meeting Mike tomorrow night at the steak house in Fredericktown. Paul said you're more than welcome to join us.”

“Great. I'd like to hear what you've dug up. As I said, after looking at your sister's murder more closely, I have some questions.” He looked toward the kitchen. “Will your niece be joining us?”

I shook my head. “No. I'm not comfortable talking about Hannah's murder in front of her. I'll fill her in when I have something solid to tell her.”

“Good. It would be very difficult to talk freely with her there.” He took a sip of his coffee and then put it back on the saucer. “So how is she doing really?”

I sighed. “Things are much better now. For a while I was very worried. She was angry. It's understandable, but anger can lead to poor choices.” I told him about Cicely's impromptu visit to the mine. “It's very unstable, and there's a deep, uncovered shaft inside. She could have been seriously hurt.”

“There are a lot of abandoned mines in this area,” he said with a frown. “I thought the state was working to provide protection.”

“It's a project in process. Most of them have been secured. Unfortunately, we're out in the boonies. At one time the town was mostly Conservative Mennonite, and they didn't welcome government intervention in their affairs. I think the state decided to leave us to our own devices. Since we don't really have any city government, there's no one to monitor the situation.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You don't have any kind of city council to oversee things? How does that work?”

I smiled. “We have a mayor. He represents us in state matters. Of course, the Mennonites don't recognize him as their mayor but they do as a friend, and they let him know what they're concerned about. In a casual way, of course.”

“When I get home I'll see if I can pull some strings. Lots of mines have been reclaimed all over the state. Maybe I can help to speed the process along.”

“That would be wonderful. Something needs to happen before someone gets hurt.”

I was struck again by his rugged good looks. He reminded me of someone, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out who it was. Probably an actor on television. If I watched TV more often, I'd probably be able to make the connection.

He took another sip of coffee. “I'm really glad Cicely's doing better.”

I sighed. “I am too.”

“But catching the person who killed her mother would certainly help, wouldn't it?”

“I hope so. Sometimes I wonder.”

He cocked his head to the side and looked at me questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“Honestly, all she really wants is her mother. I believe someday she'll be glad the killer was brought to justice. But right now, all she can feel is Hannah's absence.”

He nodded. “I understand. I really do. Sometimes victims are completely caught up in seeing the guilty party punished. But when it happens, they still have to face the sorrow of their loss. There's nothing we can do to fix that. But I'll do everything I can to at least give her—and you—some closure. Okay?”

“Thank you.”

Anson stood up. “I've got to get going, but I'll meet you tomorrow night. What time and where?”