Ever Present Danger (25 page)

Ivy moved down one and said something comforting to Denny’s wife and decided that, had circumstances been different, they might have been friends.

She greeted Reg’s parents, hoping her words weren’t starting to sound rehearsed, then moved over and stood facing Reg’s pregnant wife, wishing she were anywhere but there.

She struggled to find her voice and finally said. “I—I’m Ivy Griffith. We’ve never met, but I went to school with Reg.”

The woman shook her hand. “Becca Morrison. And I feel as if I know you. Reg told me all about what good friends the four of you were in high school.”

“We really were.” Ivy blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. “Reg was a great guy. I’m going to miss him.”

“Yeah, he was—
oooh
!” She placed her palms on her round tummy. “I swear this kid’s gonna be a kicker for the Broncos…” Becca’s voice cracked and she struggled to gather her composure. “Sorry. It’s so hard knowing Reg won’t be here to see Zack grow up.” She wiped the tears off her cheeks and managed a weak smile, her chin quivering. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you, Ivy. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”

Ivy wanted to say something encouraging but couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t cause them both to lose it. She took Becca’s hand and squeezed it and moved over to the Hadleys, her pulse racing in protest.

Bill put his lips to her ear. “Just be yourself. I’ll be watching him closely.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Hadley, I’m Ivy Griffith. I dated Pete Barton in high school and knew Joe from the basketball team. I’ve agonized about Joe ever since he disappeared…” Ivy felt as if the words were caught in her throat.
Come on, you can do this
. “I can’t even imagine what it’s been like for you all these years.”

Mr. Hadley’s dark eyes locked on to hers. “No, you can’t. It took a lot of courage for you to come here.”

What was that supposed to mean?
Ivy thought.

Mrs. Hadley extended her hand. “We could hardly believe that the other parents would think to include us when they’re so distraught themselves. I’m sure we’ll all rest better when we know why these young men were killed.”

Ivy nodded and tried to hear what Bill was saying to Mr. Hadley.

“Well, sir…I’m really sorry about what happened to Joe. I
hope someday the sheriff’ll solve the case. People here’ll never forget him.”

“I don’t know about that,” Mr. Hadley put his hand on Bill’s shoulder and shook his hand with the other, “but I believe
you
never will.”

IVY GRIFFITH SAT out on the front steps, a north breeze nipping at her face, the mountains appearing dark and mysterious against the crimson sky. In the distance, she heard Sasha barking playfully and wondered if she had found a rabbit to chase.

Down the hill at the camp, there seemed to be an unusual amount of activity, and she remembered a writer’s conference was scheduled to start this weekend. She heard the front door open behind her.

“Mom, can I come out?” Montana Griffith said.

“Sure, sweetie. Put your coat on and come sit with me.”

Half a minute later, Montana flopped down next to her, wearing the new ski jacket Carolyn had bought him, a white sucker stick protruding from his mouth. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just thinking.”

“About the dead guys?”

“Partly.”

“Ian said they were shot and all bloody. Is that true?”

Ivy sighed. “How about we don’t put those images in your mind?”

“I’ve seen shot people before on TV.”

“Then you already know the answer.”

There was a short stretch of silence, and then Montana moved closer to her and put one of his hands in her coat pocket
and the other in his own. “Do you miss Gramma Lu?”

“Very, very much. How about you?”

Montana nodded. “But
someday
I get to see her again in heaven. Grandma said someday can be real short or real long because it’s never the same. But it always comes.”

“Grandma’s pretty smart.” Ivy put her arm around Montana and savored the moment.

“Mom, when are you gonna tell me about Jesus? Gramma Lu said He knows the way to heaven and to ask you.”

“Well, not tonight. Bill’s picking me up any minute.”

Montana covered a grin with his hand. “You gonna let him kiss you?”

“I might.”

“You ever had a boyfriend before?”

“Of course I have.”

Montana looked up at her, his dark eyes wide and questioning. “Was my dad your boyfriend?”

“Kind of. Well, not exactly. But I had boyfriends in high school.”

“Did they call you
darling
and act all lovey dovey mushy gushy?” Montana let out a husky laugh and flashed her an impish grin.

“Listen, mister. You ask too many questions.” Ivy reached down and tickled his knee until he squealed and cherry saliva dripped out of his mouth and down the front of his jacket.

Montana pulled the sucker out and surveyed the sticky mess. “Oh-oh.”

“That’s okay, it’ll come out.” Ivy took a Kleenex out of her pocket and wiped off the excess, just as Bill Ziwicki’s van pulled into the circle drive in front of the house.

“I’ll go tell them he’s here!” Montana ran up the steps and in the front door.

Ivy stood and waited for Bill to walk over to her, and then said, “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” His voice was flirtatious. “You look terrific.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

After taking Bill inside to greet her parents, Ivy got up in the passenger seat of Bill’s van and thought how strange it was to be on an official date with the guy who used to buy her drugs and had been considered the biggest loser in the class by her old boyfriend.

Bill got in and sat for a moment, the corners of his mouth twitching. “I can’t believe this is really happenin’. You have no idea how I used to dream about this moment when we were in high school.”

“I guess not,” Ivy said. “But I’m not sure I’d have made a very good date back then. I was pretty messed up.”

“Well, same here. There’s a lot to be said for growin’ up.”

Bill drove down the driveway and turned right on Three Peaks Road and headed for the highway. “Okay, let’s hear your impression of Mr. Hadley. He acted weird, right?”

Ivy nodded. “It was like his comments had double meanings. I mean, why’d he emphasize that it took courage for
me
to go to the memorial service—just because I found Pete, Reg, and Denny dead or because I was with them when they killed Joe?”

“Maybe both, but he definitely wanted us to read between the lines. When I told him people here will never forget Joe, did you hear what he said?”

“He said he believes
you
never will. Sounded almost like he was confirming that he knows you know that I know what happened to Joe.”

Bill smiled. “I actually understood that. Yeah, sounded like his way of lettin’ me know without admittin’ anything that he’s the one who left the envelope on my porch.”

“So what’re we supposed to do about it? I’ve thought about this a lot, and I think you’re right that I shouldn’t go to the sheriff. Like you said, I had nothing to do with killing Joe, so why should I have to pay the price?”

“Exactly. Why should you be the one to go to jail?”

“But if Mr. Hadley is trying to manipulate me into telling the sheriff what really happened to Joe, what’s to stop him from slipping
the sheriff an index card like the ones we got?”

Bill shrugged. “Nothin’. But I don’t think he’s goin’ to if he hasn’t already.”

“I find the whole thing puzzling.”

“Me, too. But I’m convinced he’s the shooter.” Bill paused and seemed to be thinking, and then went on. “In fact, I’m thinkin’ seriously about confrontin’ him with it.”

“You can’t do that! If he knows you’ve figured out he did it, he might kill you, too.”

Bill shook his head. “Not if I tell him he did us all a favor by takin’ out the guys who killed Joe. Like I said before, he doesn’t have the heart of a murderer. He just knew there wasn’t any evidence to convict the guys for killin’ his son, so he took them down. And once he knows I’m on to him, he’ll have to back off tryin’ to pressure you into tellin’ the sheriff.”

Ivy leaned her head back on the seat and shook it from side to side. “I don’t feel good about this. You can’t be sure Mr. Hadley did the shooting.”

“Sure enough to confront him.”

“But what if you’re wrong, and he goes straight to the sheriff and tells him everything you said?”

“Come on, Ivy, Mr. Hadley’s guilty. If anything, he’ll be relieved to think somebody actually understands the reason he did what he did.”

“How can you even think of telling him you
understand
why he shot three people to death?”

“I’d say anything to get him to back away and leave you alone.”

“But Mr. Hadley’s note never actually said I should go to the sheriff. You’re just making an assumption.”

Bill exhaled. “Ivy…that’s what he wants. I’ve studied criminal behavior. My instincts are really good. I need to go confront him so he’ll—”

“Please don’t! I couldn’t stand it if anything to happened to you.”

She was stunned for a moment by her own words and the realization behind them.

Bill glanced over at her. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Well, it’s true. I’m starting to have feelings for you.” Ivy looked at her hands. “I’ve spent my entire adult life paying the consequences for making that pact with Pete, Reg, and Denny. Now that they’re gone, there’s really no reason for me to tell what I know and end up in jail. I’ve got a son to raise. I’m ready to start living again. For the first time in ten years, I’m starting to feel good about getting up in the morning. And it’s because of you.”

“I—I don’t know what to say. Does this mean I might have a shot at a long-term relationship with you?”

“Well, I’d sure like to give it a chance. You’ve treated me with more respect than any man ever has.” Ivy turned to him just as he turned to her. “Please promise me you won’t confront Mr. Hadley.”

Bill picked up her hand and kissed it. “Okay. I just wanted you to feel safe. Let’s wait and see if he backs off.”

Flint Carter sat in the conference room at the sheriff’s department, comparing notes from today’s memorial service with Special Agent Nick Sanchez and Lieutenant Bobby Knolls.

“So, what it boils down to,” Flint said, “is the only suspects we have so far are the elusive Unger and some nutcase Bobby discovered out stopping traffic and claiming he’d done the shootings?”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Melvin Lloyd Archer. The guy shows up on the FBI’s radar at least once a year. He’s a real loon, but he’s harmless. He wouldn’t know how to pull a trigger if it wrapped itself around his finger.”

“Is that a yes?” Bobby blew a pink bubble and sucked it into his mouth.

“For now, Lieutenant,” Nick said. “If the APB on Unger doesn’t yield anything, we’ll stake out his apartment this weekend and pick him up there or at his workplace on Monday morning when he gets back from his alleged vacation. In the meantime, I want my team to take a closer look at the people who were working in the
lodge the night of the shooting. I want to dissect their alibis, know every move they made—when they timed in or out, took a break, went to the john, made a phone call. I want to know what part of the building they were in and at what time and what they were doing. Somebody had to have seen something suspicious.”

“My investigators have already done that,” Bobby said.

Nick jotted something on the back of his business card. “Well, mine are going to do it again—just to be sure nothing got missed. Also, my team will continue going through all the statements and background checks on the classmates and compare what we have on each person to the perp’s profile. We’ve got a ways to go till we’ve narrowed down the field.”

“Bobby’s investigators could assist,” Flint said.

Nick shook his head. “It’ll go faster if we just do it ourselves. We have our system down pat.”

Bobby pushed back his chair and jumped to his feet. “Knock yourselves out. I’m outta here.”

“Good night, Bobby.” Flint waited until Bobby’s footsteps grew faint down the hallway, and then said, “You know, Nick, it’s not easy for Lieutenant Knolls having you stomp all over his turf. A little sensitivity would go a long way in diffusing the resentment that’s obviously building.”

“I haven’t got time to coddle the lieutenant’s wounded ego. He needs to toughen his hide and pay attention. He just might learn something. And for the record, it’d be a whole lot easier taking him seriously if he’d spit out the bubble gum.”

“Bubble gum keeps him away from cigarettes. He used to smoke three packs a day till his son was born. Look, Bobby’s smart, and he’s got a good team of investigators. Whatever your personal opinion of him, you can’t argue with his record. The lieutenant knows his stuff, and he’s well connected in the region. You need him as much as he needs you.”