Catch Me If You Can Read online

  “Thanks. Jo told me it would pay to put in new carpet, so I did.”

  “Do you stay busy?” With the summer just beginning and now the reporters, she knew he did.

  “Booked solid. I’m seriously thinking of adding four more rooms.”

  “Reporters and tourists?”

  “Yep. Early tourists. After school lets out, there’ll be more.”

  Lynn led the way to a small room where a computer sat on a polished table.

  “Have a seat,” she told him.

  “What’s on your mind, Sheriff?” Clyde didn’t sit. He stood over her, his dark eyes making her nervous. She had a gun. He had nothing but his fists. But those fists looked huge. She wanted to stand again, gain back a bit of power, but remained seated.

  “Just a chat, Clyde.”

  With a frown on his face, he took a chair across from her. No doubt he remembered the grilling he’d received when each of the three women went missing.

  “It’s about the bodies, isn’t it?”

  Lynn watched him closely. His chin rested on his chest, his hands hung limply in his lap. She wouldn’t be swayed. She needed answers. “What do you know about them?”

  His head jerked up. His eyes held surprise. “What? You think I had something to do with this…this..?” he sputtered. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”

  “You were the last person to see Jo before she disappeared.” She opened her notebook from back when she’d taken her first notes on the case. “She left here at six-thirty. Should have been home no later than seven.” She raised her eyes to his. “Did you see her again after she walked out?”

  “I told you then I didn’t. I didn’t have guests that night, so I left to get a burger.”

  “Then you came straight home. What did you do then?”

  Clyde ran a shaky hand through his hair. “That was a long time ago.”

  “You don’t remember?”

  “What did I tell you back then? My usual routine is to clean up whatever needs attention, read, or watch TV, and go to bed. I’m sure I did some version of that at the time.”

  “That’s what you told us.”

  “You don’t believe me?” He jumped up. “I swear, Sheriff. I had nothing to do with this. Whoever did it has to be one mean son-of-a-bitch. Excuse the language, but I’m just not like that.”

  “Besides Jo, you knew Kacie, as well as Sherry. Did they make you angry? Did you kill them by accident?”

  Clyde put a hand on each side of his head. “You can’t believe I would hurt them. I liked them. Jo was smart as a whip. I’d see Kacie at Murphy’s bar once in a while when I went in for a beer. She didn’t mean anything when she flirted with every guy there. It was second nature to her. I warned her once to be careful, that she could get herself in trouble.” He sighed deeply, then dropped back into his chair. “Evidently, she didn’t listen.”

  “What was Sherry to you?” She had his testimony from when the young girl went missing. Wanted to see if he told the same story now.

  He looked up. “A friend.”

  “Sherry had just turned twenty. You’re what…heading toward fifty? Big age difference for friends.”

  His mouth clamped shut as if he was tired of answering questions. Questions he’d been asked before. “I told you a long time ago. Sherry dreamed of being a doctor. She knew my brother was one. Every time she had a chance, she’d pump me with questions. Most of the time I couldn’t answer them. How would I know what to think of the new health laws and how they would affect her if she became a doctor? How did I know which field would be best?” He was silent for a moment. “She leaned toward oncology. Her grandmother died from cancer. She told me how helpless the family was when none of the protocols worked.”

  That was more than he’d told her before. But it rang true.

  She looked at Clyde. He’d known all three women. Interacted with them. But for the life of her, she couldn’t see him as a killer. She patted him on the shoulder. “If you think of anything that will help, will you let me know?”

  “Of course.” His voice broke. Either he was a damned good actor or he sincerely cared for the women whose bodies they’d found.

  Next, she went to Senator Underwood’s home. She wanted a word with Kacie’s brother, Ted. The house was imposing. A three-story mansion sat above all the rest in Lobster Cove. The back of the house faced Hulls Cove. Waves crashed against the rocks in a steady rhythm. She remembered the inside from her original investigation. Highly polished hardwood floors, antique furniture mixed with a few traditional pieces. It all spelled money. But money hadn’t saved Kacie.

  When the door opened, Lynn was met with hostility.

  Though the senator’s mouth clamped into a firm line of disapproval, and he stood with arms crossed over his chest to keep her out, Kacie’s mother ushered her in. “I’m sorry to intrude,” Lynn began. “I know what a hard time this is for all of you. But if I could, I’d like to speak to Ted.”

  The senator, his broad face wreathed with distaste, almost laughed. Lynn hadn’t taken to the man before, and had in fact, voted for his opponent. He was loud, demanded his own way, and was generally distasteful to be around. She was sure he exuded an entirely different persona around the voting public.

  By now they were in the sitting room. The shades were drawn, lending a depressing air to the room. But you could still hear the waves washing ashore.

  “Could I speak to Ted, please?” She’d be nice at first. If they objected, she’d take him in.

  “No,” the senator snapped.

  “I’m over twenty-one,” Ted spoke from the doorway. “I’ll talk to whomever I choose.”

  “Go to your room.”

  It was a demand that brooked no argument. Much to her surprise, Ted stood his ground. “This way,” he motioned for Lynn to join him.

  She followed him past a couple of closed doors before he stopped and opened one. He waved her into the library. It was huge. She’d love to get her hands on some of those books.

  When the lock clicked into place behind her, she whipped around.

  Ted smiled.

  That’s when she saw the empty look in his dark eyes.

  That’s when she knew she should have handcuffed him and hauled his butt in.

  She shouldn’t let it worry her.

  His parents knew they were in here.

  Then why did her knees threaten to buckle?

  Chapter Eight

  It took an hour for Jake to line up the agents for the search. Thankfully, they were gung-ho and ready to find something, anything that would lead to the killer.

  He put his friend, Special Agent Gary Larson in charge. Thorough and determined, Gary would do a good job.

  Jake waved them on their way, then watched a minute until they were out of sight. Jumping into his pickup, he headed for the lake. Even from here he could see the activity.

  He pulled up, made his way to a crowd at the edge, mostly locals ogling the activity. He looked again. Deputy Roy Webb stood so close to the edge of the lake, his boots were in the water. He was oblivious to those around him, his eyes trained on a boat a good ways out.

  “You got them on this pretty fast,” he told the deputy who hadn’t turned when Jake walked up.

  Webb nodded. “Had to. The sooner we catch the bastard, the safer Lynn will be.”

  “You’re convinced she’s the unsubs intended victim?”

  “I am. It worries me that she won’t let me protect her.”

  Why would Webb take it on himself to do a job the whole department should be involved in? Jake had tried to get Lynn to let him put a man with her only to have his offer scoffed at. He had a feeling she would accept protection from no one. Not unless there was an obvious threat. When they were kids, that stubbornness amused him. Now it irritated, even frightened him to think she could be in danger.

  “How long have they been at it?” he asked watching the boat go slowly across the smooth waters of the lake, the sun so bright he had to pull out h
is sunglasses.

  “Not long.”

  “What do you think? Will they find anything?”

  “It’s a likely dumping spot.”

  “Like the bodies?”

  “Huh?” Roy Webb turned for the first time to look at Jake. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you think the bodies were buried in a likely spot? Seems to me if the killer put weights on the bodies or left them in their vehicles, the lake would be a smarter place to put them.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Would we have this search going on if they’d been thrown in the lake? I don’t think so. They could lie under there for years and not be found. If ever. So the question arises, did the unsub want the bodies found?”

  “He’d be crazy if he did.”

  “He’s crazy anyway, isn’t he?”

  Roy’s face knit into a frown. In his uniform, the man cut quite a figure. Tall and trim, with blond hair falling over his forehead, Jake was sure more than a few women would call the man sexy. No wonder the ladies made their way into his orbit. Hell. Even Riley had managed to have a conversation with Deputy Roy Webb.

  Even as kids Roy never lacked attention from the fairer population. Jake gave Roy a closer look. Though handsome, his eyes held a guarded look.

  Jake wondered what Roy’s wife Beth thought of all the female attention. Jake would never have thought the two of them would make a couple. Though Beth was from the right side of town and her dad had practiced law, she had inherited his short stature, the tendency to be overweight, and near-sightedness. Though a nice lady, she was no beauty.

  Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, the old saying went.

  And of course it was true. But Roy and Beth made an odd couple——one from the wrong side of the tracks who wanted to better himself, the other from the right side who obviously wanted a good-looking guy on her arm.

  Come to think of it, the combination made sense. The competition factor, however, had destroyed many a relationship. It was why you found celebrities and such married to perfectly ordinary looking people.

  “Look. They’ve found something.” Roy pointed to the boat that was now stopped, it’s winch pulling up something heavy.

  Jake’s full attention went to the action playing out across the water.

  Two hours later, they had pulled two vehicles out of the lake, one a red Ford pickup that matched the description of Sherry’s truck, the other a black Thunderbird convertible that went missing along with its owner, Kacie Underwood.

  Jake pulled out his cell phone, dialed Lynn’s number. No answer. He called the office. She wasn’t in and no one knew where she was.

  Shit!

  He wanted to stay, but had to leave. He had to find Lynn. If Roy was right, she could be in trouble right this minute.

  He told Roy to have the vehicles taken to the garage at the sheriff’s office. He’d have a forensics team check every inch. He wanted the bastard who did this. He was dialing his phone even as he hurried to his pickup, gunned the motor, and took off. Lynn had better be in her office when he got there.

  ****

  Lynn watched as Theodore Underwood the second, named after his famed grandfather, moved across the room to the wide cherry desk, picked up the phone’s receiver and set it down on the polished surface of the desk. “Parents.” He grinned.

  But the grin made her stomach roil.

  No doubt about it, Teddy had a problem. But did it involve murder?

  When his cell phone rang, he took it out of his pocket and turned it off.

  She held her breath, waited to see what he’d do now since he’d successfully isolated them.

  She looked around at the shelves of books, the comfortable leather sofa, the chairs and lamps. A tall, wide window was on the opposite wall. She looked closer. Not a window…French doors. Finally, she could breathe again. If need be, she could get out. If the door was locked, she’d shoot the damn thing open.

  “Have a seat,” he said politely.

  She didn’t want to sit down and have him stand over her. But she didn’t want him to think she was afraid either. So she sat on the couch and crossed her legs.

  “How have you been, Ted?”

  He sat across from her in a matching chair, shrugged at the question.

  “I’m sorry about your sister.” She had to get him to talk.

  From the other side of the thick, wooden, door, Senator Underwood ordered Ted to let them in.

  “Go away!” Ted yelled.

  The strength and forcefulness of his voice startled Lynn.

  When his parents quieted down, he turned back to her, “Kacie was loud.”

  Loud?

  She was flirty, promiscuous, and wild, but loud? “What do you mean?”

  “She was loud. Even in her sleep you could hear her.”

  “What did the loudness say?”

  Ted came out of his chair. “You’re like everyone else. You don’t understand. Kacie was loud all the time. Never quiet.” He looked at Lynn closely. “You’re quiet. But I can hear the questions in your head.”

  He came closer, bent down, and looked into her eyes. Lynn held her breath.

  “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” He looked even closer, nearly squinting now. “What’s your secret? It’s buried so deep I can’t see it.”

  Lynn surged off the couch, causing Ted to step back. What did Ted know? How could he know anything? Only four people in the world knew the truth and one of them was dead. The other three, of which she was one, would never talk.

  “Ted, I think we’d better get back on track,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I want to ask you a few questions about your sister.”

  “I knew Kacie was going to die young. I knew it a long time ago.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I have no idea. Sometimes I just know things. Like I knew my dad was going to win his last election, but will lose the next. Like I know I’m not like other people. I’m not like my sister and definitely not like my parents.”

  “Were you adopted?” She didn’t know where that came from. But Ted was scaring her.

  The question brought a chuckle. For the first time, she saw a hint of humor in his dark eyes. “I look too much like an Underwood to be adopted.”

  He was right. His height, his dark hair and eyes, even his chin were a replica of his dad’s. “Then why do you say you’re unlike your family?”

  “I can see things they can’t, so they think I’m crazy. Did you know I hardly ever get to leave the house? I’m a grown man and they’d like to keep me in a locked room.”

  “I’m sorry, Ted.” Lynn’s mind scrambled for a way to keep the conversation on track. “Tell me about Kacie. Tell me what you know about her death.”

  He sat back down. “I’ve tested myself, you know. Certainly not in a scientific way, but I can’t read people unless I see or touch them. So I have no idea who killed Kacie. I do know she drank too much and sometimes couldn’t remember what she did during those times. I know she screwed men she didn’t know. I didn’t have to read her mind to know that, she bragged about it. Told me what I was missing——that I should leave home and thumb my nose at the parents so I could have a life. I think that’s why she was so wild. She was always thumbing her nose at them.”

  “Why don’t you leave?” Was Ted a prisoner in his own home? Was he telling the truth? Could he read minds? And why didn’t she find this out when Kacie went missing? The answer was obvious. His parents had kept Ted off limits. Sure he was questioned, but only in their presence. For a while there, Lynn had put him in the suspect column, even though not a single clue pointed to him, or to anyone else for that matter. Stronger than anything was his alibi. He’d never left the house.

  If what he was telling her now was the truth, his parents hadn’t lied about his alibi.

  His face was turned away from her, as if he didn’t want to answer the question. “Ted?”

  “I’m afraid. Dad tells me every day h
ow people will make fun of me, that I’ll never hold a job. I’ve resigned myself to living here the rest of my life.”

  “Your dad’s wrong. You’re a nice looking young man with a rare gift. I’m sure there are numerous organizations who would welcome you into their midst.”

  When did she stop thinking of Ted as a suspect and start thinking of him as a mistreated individual who was being denied his rights?

  He was big enough and strong enough to have killed and buried the women.

  And he was smart enough to pull the wool over her eyes with a packet of lies.

  Which was he? A killer? Or a prisoner?

  “Did you know Jo Nelson? Did you ever see her?”

  “Once or twice when I went shopping with Mom.”

  “How did your mom know her?”

  “Ms. Nelson was a CPA. Mom knows all the professionals in town.”

  “Did she use her services?’

  “Not that I know.” Then he grinned. For the first time, Lynn saw he truly was a nice looking young man. “I would know, wouldn’t I?”

  “What about Sherry? Did you know her?”

  “I remember her. She was excited about being in college and on her own. She wanted to be a doctor, you know.”

  “I do. But how did you know?”

  There went that grin again.

  “Okay.” She stood to leave.

  “Do you know you’re in danger?” he asked, his face solemn.

  She jerked around to look at him, stopped herself from asking how he knew.

  She had to get out of here.

  He stopped her at the door. “I’d like to help. If you’ll let me.”

  He was close enough to look into his eyes. Deep, dark eyes that held more mystery than she could deal with.

  Instead of answering, she got out of there.

  And drove straight to Julie’s coffee and sweet shop.

  Julie, her dark red hair in a ponytail, came over the minute she stepped in the door. “What’s wrong?”