Chapter Twelve
“Damn, just like me, between two worlds,” Caitlin muttered to herself as she watched the lake, shrouded in a fog. Her sister-in-law, Jan, and brother, Pat, sat opposite her in the loveseat. Their arrival, and their promise to stay with Caitlin, had prompted Mike’s and Rachel’s departures. Nothing else would have blasted them from her condo.
“What did you say?” Pat asked. “You’re talking like you’ve got cabbage in your mouth.”
“You’re lucky I’m talking at all.” She sat on her sofa at the side of the stone fireplace, her feet curled beneath her.
“At least you realize that,” Jan said, playing her usual peacekeeper role.
“I agree with Mike. You can’t be alone and if I find the S.O.B. before the police, he won’t look pretty when I hand him over,” Pat sputtered in fury, but with his black belt skills he could do damage. She didn’t want that. Didn’t want to chance the wrong outcome.
“It’s a police matter now, Pat. Don’t go looking for trouble.”
“I won’t look, but I’ll be around if it shows up.”
Caitlin shook her head and glanced at Jan. She sat quietly through Pat’s tirade, but when he finished, she spoke. “We’ll tell your folks only what they absolutely need to know. After that, we’ll find ways to keep them away until your new color palette subsides.” Taking charge, Jan spoke only to the essentials. “Since they are probably home from Mass now, why don’t we give them a call?”
“I hoped you would handle that.”
Pat fidgeted at Caitlin’s words. “I hate it when you put yourself in danger.”
“Going to a wedding shouldn’t put me in danger,” Caitlin shot back, her hands fisted.
“You should’ve waited to walk out with someone. Your crazy independence fed right into the son-of-a-bitch’s plan,” Pat accused and dared her to object to his reasoning.
Pat had her there; it was stupid. Mike hadn’t been as blunt, which surprised her. But Mike wasn’t her brother either. “I agree. Really bad judgment on my part.”
Looking surprised that she admitted an error, Pat sputtered in protective brother mode. “Hot damn, she admits a mistake! Why didn’t this Mike character walk you to your car?” Too late to stop him, Jan put a restraining hand on Pat’s arm.
“Are you suggesting I need a keeper?” Caitlin hissed back, increasing the tension to dangerous levels.
“Hell, yes, maybe you do. Why wasn’t he with you? Especially when he was here to greet us early this morning?” Pat snarled back, his large hands balled into fists.
Jan closed her eyes.
Caitlin bridled, then slapped her hand on the couch arm. “Maybe I picked him up at the hospital. I looked so great by then.”
“Don’t get smart mouthed. I’m waiting for an answer. A legit one!”
Caitlin felt transported back to childhood, getting a grilling after an outing of any kind. Who did Pat think he was, besides her big brother? “Go to hell…”
Hands gesturing a time-out, Jan interrupted the family feud with a voice of reason and peace. “Enough. This is emotional. You Donnellys don’t do some emotions well.” She eyed Pat. “Why don’t you just admit you’re happy she’s alive and basically unhurt?”
Two pairs of gray-green eyes, one set swollen and discolored, looked to the diminutive dark-haired woman.
“Don’t blame Mike, Pat. He told me to wait for him. Actually, he ordered me to wait, but you know me. He took longer than I was willing to hang around and I wanted to show him how independent I am.”
“Damn it, Cait, when—” Sputtering, Pat jumped back into the verbal ring.
“Enough, both of you. What happened can’t be changed. What we can do is make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Jan turned to Cait. “What else do you want us to do today? Besides handling Mom and Dad.”
“Tell me what to do?” Caitlin whispered.
“About what...or is it whom?” Jan rose and moved toward Caitlin as she spoke.
“Everything, I think. The most god awful part about last night was losing control. I felt so helpless. I still do.” Caitlin looked to her brother. “Pat, everything you guys taught me? None of it worked on that creep.” She shivered. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks for the first time, powered by fleeting images of last night.
Jan’s arm moved around Caitlin’s shoulders, pulling her close to comfort. “You did your best, Cait. You’re here to talk about it, and basically, you’re still in one piece. We could be mourning for you.” Jan ran her blunt artist’s fingers through Caitlin’s hair.
“The creep heard Mike coming, I think,” she hiccoughed, “and his calling out for me...”
“For that I’ll be sure to thank the man when I see him next time. Maybe he’s not as big of a jerk as I thought.” Pat’s words earned a withering glance from Jan.
“Mike’s never been a jerk. Don’t describe him that way.” Her defense surprised Caitlin.
“Is this guy getting to you, sis?”
Caitlin detected a hopeful nuance in her big brother’s voice. He’d always objected to her single status and vocalized that opinion whenever possible. She spied Jan’s second withering look toward him. If looks could kill, Pat would have fatal wounds. “You…are getting…irritating, big brother.”
“Ah hah. This Mike’s important to you. Guess I’ll talk to him…about what he thinks of last night.”
Caitlin ground her molars in frustration. Pat planning a “chat” with Mike and giving him ideas—ones she wasn’t sure she wanted Mike to have—wasn’t something Caitlin looked forward to.
“Knock it off, Pat.” Jan stood, placing herself between brother and sister. “Cait, I promise you he won’t have a big brother chat with Mike, but I can understand why he might want to talk to him about last night.”
“But the sheriff already has. And what could Pat do?” Alarm bells rang in Caitlin’s head. Oh, Dear God, no. Pat and Mike together could concoct some silly schemes—all in the name of protecting her. That sense of losing control overpowered her. These two men were too much alike. Keeping them separated was the best option.
“I’m helping my baby sister…that’s what.” Pat answered her question with a pugnacious jut in his strong jaw.
“Stop it. You two are so alike it’s scary.” Doorbell chimes tangled with Jan’s words and forced a sibling time-out.
“I’ll get it.” Pat lumbered off, a tall, ruggedly built man, his auburn hair dusted with silver.
“He means well, Cait.”
A nod. “I know.”
“This Mike is important to you?”
Another nod. “And it scares the dickens out of me. Even more so than the guy last night. I don’t want to get hurt…and I don’t want to hurt Mike. Oh, hell, I don’t know.” Caitlin stopped totally frustrated with everything.
“He’s the same one, then. From before?”
Again, Caitlin nodded and played with the seam of her robe.
“You’re both older now, settled in. You’ve had a chance to move further away from those bad times you were rebelling against then. Caitlin, maybe this time you should give things a chance. See where the road goes.”
“But I’m so afraid,” Caitlin whispered as tears filled her eyes again, a reaction totally out of her normal behavior.
“Who’s afraid?” A booming voice filled the muted room. Vince Bertoli, burly and red-faced, filled the arched doorway separating the foyer and the living room. The detective’s great size diminished Pat’s height and solid frame. As Pat introduced Jan, Caitlin realized how much Vince being assigned this case eased her mind. She respected his honesty, compassion and love for Rachel. He backed off without pressuring Rachel when her mother objected to their dating, but he kept tabs on them, making sure all was well. Caitlin knew this. She was the one he called to check up on Rachel.
“Caitlin better be.” Pat plunked down next to his wife.
“You should be fearful, Caitlin. Our techs dusted your car, the ribbons, and the note for prints. Only found yours and Mike’s. That suggests someone who’s cagey enough to cover himself. We figure he’s been doing things like this for a while.”
“But I got my first threat just a few weeks ago.”
“Right. Which means he’s likely a pro and been at this a while. Maybe with a conviction or two already.”
“But why threaten me since all this started at work?”
“So what have you done at work to piss someone off, sis?” Pat asked.
“No one who would do this kind of thing. He waited for me! The guys at work would lash out fast and quick.”
“Think on this, Caitlin. Have you made anyone angry at work who wouldn’t lash out that way? Maybe hires himself some muscle with a rep?” Vince asked.
“That might mean a supervisory or management type. Somebody with smarts and patience who’s angry at you, wants revenge, but would lose too much doing the deed himself or wants to keep his hands clean.” Pat put his spin on the question, but what he said made sense to Caitlin.
“A situation like that puts a whole new light on this.” Vince pulled a small notebook from the inside pocket of his sport coat. “Earlier this morning our evidence techs combed the wooded area around the parking lot. They found a set of tire tracks, some cigarette butts, and what looks like a boot print.”
“Vince, the guy was wearing boots. Steel-toed ones, at least that is what they felt like when I tried to spike his toes with my heels. Maybe they were factory safety boots.”
Vince wrote her answer in his notebook. “Good to know. The techs photographed them and are casting the prints now. We might get lucky there.”
While Vince talked, Pat pulled Jan closer to him and put an arm around her shoulder. He was protecting what he loved most. That sight spiked a lonely feeling within Caitlin.
“Those cigarette butts, Vince. I smelled cigarette smoke on him…more than someone would get from being around smokers.”
“If we’re lucky, maybe the butts will provide some DNA. The state’s lab is backed up to eternity so there’s no telling when we’ll get the results or even if we’ll land a connection to something in the existing database. That could be a problem. Same with the tires and the boot print.”
“Can those be helpful?” Pat asked.
“Maybe. We can find out a manufacturer or type, but given the wide use of boots around here...” Vince shrugged.
“Got it. Won’t be easy,” Pat finished, not looking happy.
Neither was Caitlin. If she understood the subtext, last night wasn’t going to be the end of this. Mike had expressed that fear, too.
“Right. Cait?” Vince turned to her. “I need a detailed account of what happened last night. The sooner we get this over with, the less likely you might forget important details. If you don’t object, I’ll take notes and record you at the same time.”
“Fine, Vince, but can Pat and Jan leave to tell my parents? And were you able to keep this off the public record sheet?”
“Yes, for now. I killed any reference to last night—at least for a few days. Your family can leave, but I don’t want you here alone when I leave.”
“Rachel should be back soon,” Caitlin said and watched to see how Vince would handle that information. He showed nothing.
Pat, his protective brother mode in full gear again, piped in. “Isn’t she safe here? And if she isn’t, how will Rachel protect her?” His voice sounded feisty.
“She should be fine, but I don’t want to take any chances, especially since I can’t deploy deputies to watch the place twenty-four/seven. I don’t think this guy will strike with people around.”
“He did last night.” Caitlin’s throat clutched at the last words she spoke.
“It could just be the darkness that made him bold. Or he could be escalating. That sometimes happens.” Vince shrugged his shoulders.
“If he escalates, she’s in more danger, right?” Pat queried.
“It’s probable…if that scenario emerges. In the meantime, we just sit tight and wait—or you do anyway. Don’t ever let yourself be alone. Understand?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And so do I. Good thing I’ve got brothers,” Pat challenged. “If the authorities won’t give her protection, we will.”
Caitlin rolled her eyes. Things were getting out of hand here. “Pat, my being in danger isn’t a sure thing.”
“It’s close enough. Take advantage of all the help you can but don’t any of you do something stupid. Something that would land you in more trouble than the perp.” Vince paused and put his notebook down. “I also kept this off the crime reporter’s data sheet, Caitlin, but you owe me for that.”
She nodded agreement and considered what might be payment. Certainly nothing to get either of them in trouble. Vince was too straight, plus she’d caught the humor in his reply. “Thanks, Vince.” Caitlin turned to Jan and Pat. “Well, you should head off to Mom and Dad’s.”
Pat stood with Jan, who gathered coats and headed toward the door. “I’ll call later.”
“Lock the door as you leave. Thanks for coming; thanks for everything.” Caitlin took a deep breath, looking into the dark eyes of the detective, and nodded.
“Let’s get this over with.” The tape recorder whirred quietly as Vince questioned and Caitlin responded. The process of remembering accurately and answering Vince’s questions in the detail he wanted took over an hour’s time. Her temples throbbed with emotional stress. She wanted everything to be over. Settled. Now.
“We’re in the process of checking the whereabouts of those people on the list you gave the deputy when you filed your first report about the work incidents. That’s quite a list of potential suspects. At this point, the only one who seems likely from that list is Buddy Stein.” Caitlin cringed. “You think he’s capable of something like last night?”
“Capable, absolutely. His size would certainly fit, but the planning and the waiting involved? I’m not so sure. Buddy could best be described as impulsive.” Caitlin shuddered at memories of the man.
“We’ve put out an APB for him since he’s no longer at the address listed on your company records. His rap sheet shows violent acts, but as you suggested, the violence has been spontaneous, not premeditated. What about other people who might not be on your list, someone not related to work.”
“My life is work with a bit of quiet time. I do a few community or church activities, but they are sporadic.”
“Any enemies or problems in those areas?”
“None.”
“What about Mike?”
She flashed a surprised, then apprehensive, look at the burly cop. “What about him?”
“Well, for openers, didn’t he arrive on the scene about the time these incidents began?”
“You’re the second or third person to throw suspicion on him for one thing or another. Vince, do you know something I don’t? What I know about Mike tells me your suspicions are all wet.”
“Who else brought up the idea and why?”
She answered in few words, ending with Keith’s cryptic remark which Mike never denied. “Mike said he left Georgia quickly,” she added, feeling traitorous when she did. Vince jotted something down in his notebook. Probably a reminder to check out those circumstances.
“But there’s another important point, Vince. Mike doesn’t smoke, and I know he didn’t smell strongly of smoke last night. After all, I was with him all evening.”
“Which provides him with a great alibi. Especially since you took the initiative to leave against his suggestion. Does he know you well enough to know you’d take his comment as a challenge?”
Vince had a point. But not Mike…he wouldn’t, would he? “This guy last night…he was really big. Bigger than Mike, maybe even taller than you. The clothes he was wearing and those boots? I don’t see how Mike logistically could have changed in such a short amount of time. Then gotten out of the building without me or anyone else seeing him. Then got back in the building to change his clothes again. Everything must have happened in the space of ten to fifteen minutes.” Thinking as she spoke, she shook her head. “No Vince. Not Mike—”
“Not Mike, because of facts or emotions?”
“Facts, Vince, just facts. Besides what would he gain? What would be the reason for all this? At least at work, people have reasons, so to speak. Or think they do anyway.”
“What about the past? People can harbor grudges for a long time.”
Caitlin thought about their earlier friendship and how it ended. “Nothing, no reasons.”
“You sound hesitant about that.”
“I knew him in college. We were friends.”
“Okay, I’ve badgered you enough on that point. For now. What about Kirby Metz?” But he wrote something in his notebook.
Caitlin slapped her knee. “You’re checking him out?” She fought to suppress the laughter, but lost. A deep chuckle bubbled forth. “Where do I start? Hmm, let’s start here. Kirby’s too short. Too weak. And always smells too mahvalous for words. No, it couldn’t have been Kirby. He’d kill himself before he’d put on those boots and clothes the guy had on last night.” When she finished, she shook her head. The image did not jive with meticulous, GQ-ish Kirby.
Vince jotted something else in his notebook. “That brings us back to work and injured feelings. Something about this situation suggests more to me. Anything else?”
Caitlin told him about the grumbling over the new policies at work, her concerns about drugs, and the hiring of the detective.
That last really perked Vince’s radar. She saw him tighten up. “When will you hear something from that detective? On this coming Friday?” Once again, he was writing in that damn notebook.
“Yes, unless he has something to report sooner. Do you think there’s a connection here?” Her heart skidded downward. Drug use and employee assistance programs were one thing, but, but what? She waited for Vince’s answer.
“I never discount leads. What did you say this detective’s name is?”
“I didn’t.”
“I should check out his credentials.”
“I already did. He’s highly recommended for this sort of thing.” She gave him the name of the organization she used to find Stoddard.
“Caitlin…” Vince raised his heavy brows showing frustration.
“Oh, okay, Hank Stoddard, out of Milwaukee.”
Vince grinned for the first time during the interview. “I know of him—good man. Excellent choice, Caitlin.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Any time.” He grinned at her. “I’ll get out to the plant tomorrow to check with Debbie and the security guard. Guess that wraps things up for now. Oh, I want to check your security system here. I’m insisting you get a hookup directly to our department. Unless yours already has that feature. Many of the newer ones do. We can’t deploy men around the clock, but a good security system should offer you a strong measure of safety, along with making sure you are never here alone.” Vince stood just as they heard Rachel and Mike entering the house through the garage door. Both were laughing.
They had grocery bags in their arms. Rachel’s eyes warmed at seeing the big detective while Mike’s narrowed—just the slightest.
“Rachel, I’m going to check out Caitlin’s security system. Would you call the company and tell them I’m doing so and ask them to note the exact time their system shows interference? Tell them I’ll call them back afterward. Mike, would you come with me?”
“You bet. What’s the plan?” Mike dumped the bags on the granite countertop.
“Nothing yet, but I have a few questions to ask you.”
Caitlin watched the two men lope off toward the lower level stairs. She had a hunch Mike was not going to like Vince’s questions. As Rachel punched the security office numbers into the phone, Caitlin overheard something derogatory about Vince’s parentage and it didn’t come from the kitchen.
Rachel finished the phone call and put away the groceries, chattering to Caitlin while she did so. She mentioned insensitive men, getting her car, packing some clothes, work tomorrow, and planning supper in a kitchen; a kitchen which had very little food, fewer spices and herbs, and minimal staples.
Caitlin half listened, but mostly tuned her out. Her mind focused again on the shards of suspicion Vince Bertoli had planted in her mind. Was it possible?