Chapter 10

I sat in the hot tub with a glass of bubbly in hand, reflecting on the day. It wasn’t long before Giovanni joined me. He scooted next to me, putting his arm around me. “What’s on your mind? I can see the wheels spinning.”

I took a deep breath in, nestled into him, and said, “It was a long day. I took on a new homicide case today. It’s a cold case, one Harvey worked on back when he was a detective. I feel a lot of pressure to solve it, not just for the families who’ve been waiting for closure all these years, but for Harvey. I know how much solving this case would mean to him.”

“Tell me about it.”

I filled Giovanni in on what I knew so far.

When I finished, he said, “You’re right. It is different than the other cases you’ve had since you started the detective agency. Given Harvey’s personal connection, what are your thoughts on involving him in some way?”

I’d had the same idea ever since I left my mother’s house. I couldn’t stop thinking about the look in Harvey’s eye as he discussed the case with me. It was like I’d just thrown him a bone. I had no doubt he was eager to be my sidekick if I wanted one.

There was just one sizable hurdle in the way.

“I want to involve him,” I said. “Given the fact my mother pushed Harvey to retire as chief of police after his heart attack, I’m not sure what she’d say about me asking him to help with the case. I feel like she might pitch a fit over it.”

“She might, but isn’t it his decision to make?”

We exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

“This is my mother you’re talking about,” I said. “Since when does Harvey have a say about anything? He can’t tie his shoes without her permission.”

“Harvey has his moments. Your mother does too. I’ve seen it. She may give him a hard time, but I expect part of it has to do with the loss of your father. It may have been a long time ago, but it was the biggest loss of her life. She’s protective of Harvey, and all of you. It’s because she cares.”

“She cares all right, enough to put a tracker on my car last year.”

He gave me a squeeze and said, “Think about it from her perspective. You put yourself at risk every single day when you take on a murder case.”

He was right.

Whenever I had cases like this, my mother checked in on me a lot more than usual. And that was saying something.

“I know my line of work isn’t easy for her,” I said.

“It isn’t, and I don’t expect it ever will be. On several occasions, your mother has expressed her feelings to me on the matter on several occasions. And yet, even though she worries, she’s proud of you and the peace and resolution you bring to families each time you solve a case. She has a soft spot for your line of work, and I expect she knows how important the cold case is to Harvey.”

Giovanni sat up, reaching for the bottle of prosecco I had chilling.

As he refilled my glass, I said, “You’re right. It’s worth a conversation. Harvey knows this case inside and out, as does Whitlock, I expect. If anyone can help me track the murderer down, it’s those two. It’s not about me, after all. It’s about solving the case.”

I heard a dinging sound, an indication that a vehicle was at the front gate. I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was half past eight in the evening. Not too late for visitors, but I wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

“I am not. Are you?”

“No.”

“Better check and see who’s here, then.”

He hopped out of the hot tub, wrapped a towel around his waist, and reached for his phone to view the feed from our security camera. Then he looked back at me with a big grin on his face.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“There are a couple of gentlemen parked out front whose ears must be ringing.”

A minute later, Giovanni showed Harvey and Whitlock inside. I toweled off and changed into vintage loungewear made of rayon—and a coral color I loved. Entering the living room, I greeted both men, and then took a seat on the couch.

“I assume the two of you are here to talk to me about the Callahan girl’s case,” I said.

“Right you are,” Whitlock said. “Before we go down that road, can I pivot and address our meeting in Foley’s office today? As soon as I learned Cora hired you to investigate the murders, I’d wanted to speak to you. It just so happens you stopped into the police station before I had a chance.”

“I was surprised to learn you’d reopened the case,” I said. “As you well know, but it’s fine.”

Whitlock crossed one leg over the other. “Is it fine? When you left, I got the feeling you were upset, which is the last thing I wanted to happen. We’ve had a good working relationship ever since I started back at the department, wouldn’t you say? This case is important to me, but so are you.”

“It’s true I was irritated when I left the police department. I drove to Cora’s parents’ house, and we talked. Since then, I’ve had time to view everything from a different perspective. I know how invested the two of you were in this case and how hard it must have been when you weren’t able to solve it. Bottom line, I’m not opposed to working together with you on it.”

Harvey clapped his hands together, beaming with happiness as he said, “I’m glad to hear it. When you stopped by today and said you were taking Cora’s case, I didn’t think the day could get any better. But then Whitlock popped in and let me know he’d reopened the case as well. With the two of you on it, I can’t sit around doing nothing. I want to be part of it.”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” I said. “I’m just wondering if you’ve spoken to Mom about it.”

“I … ehh, I have not. Leave it to me. I’m sure once I explain my feelings to Darlene, she’ll understand.”

Whitlock looked over at me, and it appeared he was thinking what I was thinking. While I’d always admired Harvey’s positive outlook on life, speaking to my mother was not going to be as easy as he hoped.

“You need to tell her as soon as you can,” I said. “By tomorrow morning, I’d say.”

Harvey nodded, saying, “I agree, I agree.”

“If we work together on this case, what does that look like to you both?” I asked. “What do you have in mind?”

Whitlock shot me a wink and said, “We’re here to ask what you have in mind. Don’t want to step on any toes, or fingers, or feelings, if you know what I mean.”

I leaned back, thinking about the best way to move forward without getting in each other’s way. “I’m the most comfortable when I work on my own.”

“We’re well aware,” Whitlock said. “And we respect your methods, of course.”

“What matters most is communicating with each other. The last several cases I’ve investigated have been alongside the police department, so I say we keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ll share what we discover with you, and you do the same.”

“Works for me,” Whitlock said.

“Me too,” Harvey said. “What’s your plan for tomorrow?”

“I’d like to interview a couple of the men who were related to the case back then. And I see no reason for us to speak to the same people unless we believe one of them is a viable suspect.”

“Divide and conquer,” Whitlock said. “I like it. We’ll cover more ground that way. Who are the lucky fellows?”

“The first is Danny Donovan. Since the murder weapon was found close to the property line of the cabin he was renting, I’d like to question him. I want to see if his story is the same or if it has changed over time.”

“And the second fellow?” Whitlock asked.

“Xander Thornton.”

Harvey rubbed a hand along his jaw, thinking. “Xander Thornton. So familiar. Why does his name ring a bell?”

Whitlock snapped his fingers and said, “I remember! He’s the tree kid.”

“The tree kid?” Harvey asked.

“Yeah,” Whitlock said. “Remember the high school kid who was tied to the tree at the park? Had a note wrapped around his neck, something about him being a stalker, if I remember right.”

Harvey’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. He refused to give the police any names. We couldn’t understand it. Why are you interested in him, Georgiana?”

“I had an enlightening conversation with Cora this evening,” I said. “She made a confession, something she’s been keeping to herself for a long time.”

Harvey learned forward and said, “Go on.”

“Aidan and Jackson used to bully Xander at school. They are the ones who got Xander drunk and tied him to the tree.”

“No, way,” Harvey said, slapping his thigh. “Why are we just hearing of this now? Why would she keep such an important detail to herself?”

“Cora was at the park the night it happened. So were Brynn and Aubree. They may not have taken part, but they didn’t stop Aidan and Jackson from doing what they did either.”

“It never made any sense to us. Why tie him to the tree in the first place?”

“Cora, Brynn, and Aubree were all receiving prank calls at the time. Someone they assumed was a fellow classmate would breathe heavily into the phone while saying their names. During one of those calls, Aubree pushed the caller to reveal himself.”

“Did he?” Harvey asked.

“In a way. The caller offered a scrambled version of his name.”

Harvey and Whitlock stared at me in confusion. I explained what the prank caller had said and why Cora believed the caller had identified himself as Xander.

“Ever since Cora told me the story, it’s been on my mind a lot,” I said. “Just because the girls assumed Xander was the one making those calls, doesn’t mean they were right.”

“How so?”

“As far as I know, Xander never admitted to it. Anyone could have passed themselves off as Xander. Someone could have been trying to set him up or place the blame on him to shift it away from themselves. I assume most of their classmates knew Xander was being bullied, which makes him an easy target.”

Harvey rubbed his chin, appearing to give my comments some consideration.

“I like your way of thinking,” Whitlock said. “Out of the box, just like your father used to do. Never taking things at face value as they seem, but always digging deeper and wider to root out the facts.”

There was no higher compliment than being compared to my father, who I believed had been one of the best detectives of his time.

“As soon as I have addresses for Danny and Xander, I’ll be speaking to them, and I’ll let you know when I do,” I said. “In the meantime, I need to look over the rest of the case file, which I’ve decided to save until tomorrow morning. I don’t have the mental capacity to focus on it tonight. What’s your plan?”

“I suppose Harvey needs to speak to the missus,” Whitlock said. “Then I’d like to speak to Silas about testing some of the items we still have in evidence. We’re hoping he can find something we weren’t able to before.”

Silas Crowe was the county’s medical examiner and a close friend. If anyone could find a way to breathe new life into the case with a piece of old evidence it was him.

“Good idea,” I said. “Forensics has come a long way in twenty years.”

“Well, it’s getting late,” Harvey said. “I best get on home before I get a phone call inquiring as to my whereabouts.”

In truth, I was surprised my mother hadn’t already called.

They stood, and Harvey turned toward me, a look of concern on his face. “Sometimes I feel you’re better at talking to your mother than I am.”

I felt for him, but it was something he needed to do on his own.

“You’ll do just fine,” I said. “Good luck. I’ll speak to you both in the morning.”