“I’ve just spoken to Sheriff Jack,” he told May. “Reed was very shocked to hear his sister was killed. Jack said his shock seemed genuine, but that he wasn’t as torn up about it as he expected he would be. So I don’t think they were close, and Jack also suspects he knows more than he’s telling. But he couldn’t get any more information out of him.”

  That seemed typical behavior for Bert Reed, who seemed to keep his secrets close. But May hoped their ace up the sleeve, aka her sister, might breach his defenses.

  “Kerry is going to ask one of her colleagues to search the FBI databases,” May said. “She’s going to see if Madeline’s name appears there at all, if she was a person of interest. She’ll call if there’s any information.” May sighed. “But in return, she wants to borrow my car. She needs it tomorrow early morning. So I’ve given her the keys and she’ll take it back to my parents’ house. Could you give me a ride home later?”

  “Sure!” Owen said eagerly. “I’ll gladly do that. Will you need a ride to work tomorrow, too?”

  “I’m hoping I might have it back by then. But if not I’ll call you. Thanks so much.”

  She smiled at him, feeling glad that he was on her side.

  At that moment, her phone rang. It was Kerry. With her heart leaping, May grabbed up the call.

  “Well, sis, I have some interesting information,” Kerry said.

  “What is it?” May switched the phone to speaker as Owen hustled over, pulling up a chair and reaching for a pen.

  “Madeline Reed is a person of interest to the FBI, due to her frequent trips out of the country and also the movement of large sums of money in and out of her accounts. There were a couple of minor reports made a while ago that alerted us to her. Unfortunately I can’t get into those at short notice so I don’t know what the actual transactions are. But she is on our radar. And we’ve been monitoring her bank accounts. Recently, however, there has been less activity there, apart from one large payment she made, which is rather interesting.”

  “Who was that made to?”

  “Well, this is where it gets complicated,” Kerry said. “Because I can’t tell you confidential information. Not if I’m not involved in the case.”

  May waited, her heart thudding. Was her sister going to insist on getting involved?

  “I can just say that you need to look into a local person’s bank accounts more closely. As if you do, you might find a large payment went through there,” Kerry said cagily.

  “And who exactly is that person?” May asked.

  “Well, it’s a local journalist,” Kerry said.

  “And?”

  May waited expectantly.

  “That’s all I can say,” Kerry concluded triumphantly. “I’m sure if you guys spend a few days on the case, researching your people, you will come up with it in due course. It might take a while. Of course, you could always ask the FBI to come on board and handle your case. Then I’d tell you.”

  There was a resounding silence.

  “Kerry,” May said, swallowing. “You promised.”

  “I did,” Kerry agreed, her voice innocent. “But you have the choice, sis.”

  “You promised. You said you’d give me the information,” May said in a small voice.

  “And I have,” Kerry said. “I gave it to you. You just didn’t accept the whole package, which includes me. Next time, don’t make assumptions.”

  “Kerry, you said you’d help,” May said, her voice shaking a little.

  “And I did, sister dear,” Kerry said, her voice full of mock sorrow. “I told you all I know. And now I’d like to get in your car and go home. Tell me if you find anything out.”

  May stared at Owen, seeing her own helplessness reflected in his gaze.

  She felt devastated. She’d had so much hope for tomorrow, believing she could at least make some inquiries about the money, but Kerry had taken yet another example of big sister power over her.

  May felt a wave of anger rise up and surge through her. Kerry had them over a barrel.

  She was having fun stringing her along. She was annoyed that she hadn’t been brought into the loop on the case and was determined to take a piece of it.

  And it was because of that that she was withholding information.

  “Well, I can’t let you into the case,” May said at last. “There’s no reason to do that. We have to manage it ourselves up until there is a real reason for FBI involvement, if that happens at all. But I’m surprised by you. I thought you might have some information that could help catch a killer.”

  “That’s all I can say,” Kerry reiterated. “I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out, with a little effort. It was a very large payment. Might even have been around the five-hundred-thousand-dollar mark.”

  May’s heart sped up.

  “You think it was bribe money?” she asked.

  Kerry sighed. “In my experience, and given that it was paid to a journalist, it’s far more likely to be blackmail.”

  May frowned. “Blackmail for what?”

  “I don’t know,” Kerry said.

  May waited, but there was no more information forthcoming.

  “Well, the FBI can’t be involved in the case,” May said.

  Kerry laughed. “That’s so silly, May. You’re being an idiot, and very shortsighted, not to let me get involved. Anyway, I’ve given you the hint you needed. Now you can take it further, or not.”

  May stared at the phone in dismay. She could imagine her sister’s grin widening at her silence.

  Anger and frustration coursed through her. She’d been used.

  Her sister had made a big deal of giving them information and then withheld it, knowing that they had no choice but to let her have her way.

  Worst of all, she had the car keys already, so May couldn’t renege on the deal about the pickup. Not that she would want to do such a thing. She just wanted Kerry to keep her side of the bargain!

  Feeling helpless and unsure what to do, she slumped forward, putting her head in her hands. She tried to concentrate on the information she had. The FBI had been monitoring Madeline’s bank accounts. They were tracking big payments out of her account, and frequent international travel. No doubt there were other reasons but Kerry wasn’t saying those. May guessed that if Reed Leisure was also involved in strip clubs, there might be some money laundering going on, but that was just a guess.

  And recently a huge payment, most likely blackmail, had been made to a local journo.

  Finally, May’s mind started to turn. There was only one journalist she knew of who had intimate knowledge of the Reeds’ affairs and who had published articles on it.

  That journalist was Emily Oxman.

  “Is it Emily?” May asked innocently.

  The outraged gasp and shocked silence she received in response told her she’d hit a bull’s-eye.

  “Thanks, sis. We’ll get going on that then,” May said. “Appreciate the information. So kind of you. Enjoy the pickup.”

  She ended the call, feeling a rush of relief. Finally they’d come to a breakthrough. They were on the right track.

  Owen stood up with a big grin on his face.

  “May, that was brilliant. Brilliant! So Emily Oxman was blackmailing Madeline? How are we going to research this further, and find out why?”

  “We’re going to need to go and confront her about this. Let’s look up her address, and while we’re at it, see if there are any other details on her that might be important,” May said.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Huddled over her laptop, side by side with Owen on his, May searched back through Emily’s profile and history. She wanted to find out her address, but she was also interested in any other information that might be available.

  Because there was surely a chance that Emily might be the killer. If so, what had motivated her to commit these crimes? Was there any association between her and the Reeds, apart from a simple role as a journalist?

  “According to this site, she’s thirty-four,” Owen said. “She seems to have been working as a journalist for more than a decade. She’s divorced after being married some years back. And I’ve found her current home address, in Silverlake Forest.”

  “She’s been at the Tamarack News for three years, according to their website,” May said. “And her previous experience was in New York. That seems to be where she went to school, from what I can see here.”

  “Perhaps she connected with the Reeds there?” Owen said. “They have a lot of business interests in New York.”

  May nodded. “It could well be. Were they ever friends of hers, I wonder? Did things go wrong? How well does she really know them?”

  “I’ll see what I can find out about Emily’s social connections,” Owen said. “You want to do the same?”

  Turning to her laptop, May changed her browser to access social media.

  “Now this is interesting,” she said. “Look here, Owen.”

  “What?” he asked, leaning over.

  “Emily dated Danny Charter a couple of years ago!”

  May couldn’t believe her eyes. There was the connection they’d been seeking. Clearer and closer than she’d expected.

  Just eighteen months ago, they’d been a couple. The photos were there to prove it. They’d gone to dinner together. Gone to movies together. Been a good-looking pair at parties. Emily’s delicate blond looks were a good foil for Danny’s solid dark-haired charm.

  Now, Danny, whom Emily had been dating, was murdered and Madeline, whom Emily likely had been blackmailing, was murdered.

  They had finally found the common thread they needed. Now the pieces were falling into place.

  “What’s her address?” May said, feeling elated at the breakthrough they’d just made. We need to drive there immediately! Let’s get my car.”

  Remembering her car was with Kerry, she quickly amended, “Your car, if that’s okay, Owen.”

  *

  Ten minutes later, May and Owen were speeding along the main road to Silverlake Forest, where Emily’s residential address was located.

  Speaking out loud, May listed the facts she’d assembled in her mind.

  “So this entire scenario could have been blackmail gone wrong,” she said.

  “How so?” Quickly, Owen overtook two slower moving cars before veering back into his lane.

  “Let’s assume that Madeline Reed was bringing in labor on the cheap from Eastern Europe, during those recruitment trips, and that they were cutting corners somewhere along the way to save on costs. Most likely, the workers might be treated badly, underpaid, their visas not in correct order,” May hazarded.

  “Right. I’m assuming that.”

  “Emily must have found out about all of this. Perhaps Danny clued her in on Madeline’s role. Maybe he was going to take a cut. She then blackmailed Madeline, who paid her to keep quiet.”

  “Then what do you think happened?” Owen sped the car around a sharp corner, tires wailing.

  “Perhaps Danny got greedy. He wanted more than what Emily was prepared to pay him. So she killed him. And perhaps Madeline started getting ugly and threatening her. Maybe Madeline found out who she was and threatened to expose her. There are lots of potential scenarios and reasons. So she killed her, too.”

  “That would make sense,” Owen said. “Sort of, I guess. I guess it all hinges on how badly Madeline wanted to protect her reputation, and how illegal her cheap labor was.”

  “I’m sure Emily must have done research on that,” May said.

  They had reached the town where Emily lived. Now they were accelerating to its outskirts. May felt herself growing nervous. They were about to confront a woman who they suspected of committing two violent murders. There was no telling what might play out when they banged on her front door.

  “Let’s come up with a plan,” May said. “That way we’re ready for whatever happens.”

  “Good idea.”

  “We need to start by demanding to see her bank account. That will tell us a lot.”

  “But we need to make sure she doesn’t pull a weapon, make a run for it, something like that. From the minute we get in there, we need to be alert and on the defensive.”

  It was a sobering thought. They were about to confront a woman for two murders. If she were to attack them, they would be forced to defend themselves.

  “Yes. We must be on our guard,” May agreed.

  “We must also record everything she says if she starts to confess,” Owen said.

  “Good idea,” May said. “I have my phone with me.”

  “And I have my tablet,” Owen said. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the device.

  “Good.” May’s heart was racing. Everything was happening fast. “I don’t think we’ll need to use our guns, though. I hope we don’t.”

  “Me too,” Owen said.

  “Here we are,” May said. “This is her road. Her house is number five.”

  The house was small but well kept. In the dusk, May could see it had a great view of the lake behind it. A spectacular sunset was brightening the sky in shades of amber, rust, and gold.

  “This is the place,” she said, letting out a long breath.

  “Looks quiet. Let’s go up and knock,” Owen said.

  They parked the car in front of Emily’s house and walked up to the front door. Adrenaline surged inside her. She couldn’t wait to confront this strong suspect, who had a motive for both murders. Was she home?

  May could see a light on in the window. She hoped that meant Emily was home. But her heart started beating faster as she approached the front door.

  It wasn’t locked. It wasn’t even fully closed. It was standing ajar, with a beam of faint light filtering out.

  “What’s going on here? This isn’t right,” Owen whispered.

  “No, it isn’t,” she agreed, as they slowed down and looked at each other. Worst-case scenarios were flooding May’s mind. She didn’t want to think about the reason for that partly open door.

  May stepped up to the door and knocked hard, peeking through the gap as she did.

  “Emily Oxman!” she called. “Are you inside?”

  There was no answer. The house was quiet. The light was on in the hall, but it didn’t look to be disturbed. Nothing was knocked over or lying around.

  With a sinking sensation, May was starting to suspect the worst. What if someone else had come for Emily, to get their revenge?

  Looking at Owen, she could see he shared this exact fear. He tiptoed around to the closest window.

  “I can’t see anything in the lounge,” he reported in a whisper. Moving further around the house, he added, “And the garage door is open, with no car inside.”

  May pushed the front door wider and walked inside. She had to know if this woman was lying dead inside her house, or not.

  The curtains were still open in the bedroom, she saw. Some clothes lay on the bed, which was neatly made. The wardrobe door was open, and one of the drawers on the dressing table was, too. Otherwise, there was no sign of disturbance in the small room, or in the kitchen, or in the bathroom as she hurried from room to room, checking. No toothbrush in the bathroom. That was gone.

  She walked outside again and met Owen there.

  “I’ve checked the yard. Nothing’s out of place,” he reported.

  “I think she’s fled,” May concluded. “This doesn’t seem like a burglary. There’s no sign of a struggle and no sign of her car. It looks like she packed some clothes in the bedroom, took what she needed, and left. I think she knew we’d suspect she did it, and she’s done a runner.”

  It was a clear sign of her guilt. But she had the jump on them, and they were lagging behind.

  Their strong suspect had gotten away, and now they would have to hunt her down.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  At nine p.m. May and Owen pulled up outside the home of the Tamarack News financial editor, Adele Wong.

  May hoped Adele might have some answers, because so far they’d come up with nothing. They’d coordinated an intensive search of the wider area. A roadblock was still operational on the route to the highway. Sheriff Jack had put out the APB on Emily’s vehicle, liaising with police in other counties as far as the state border.

  Feeling tired and discouraged, May walked up to the front door of the pretty home on the edge of the woods in Misty Hills. She knocked on the door, wondering if by some miracle they would find Emily sheltering here.

  A few moments later, Adele opened the door. The dark-haired woman was dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, and looked extremely surprised to see them standing there.

  “Good evening. Has anything happened?” she asked curiously.

  “We’re looking for Emily Oxman.”

  Now Adele looked shocked.

  “Why? Is it something to do with that piece we published?”

  “No. It’s other reasons,” May said. “We went to her home and found she had already left, leaving it open. She hasn’t been back. It is looking suspicious and we need to find her urgently. Do you have any idea where she could be?”

  “I don’t know. I know she has quite a few friends in Tamarack County. Journalists are always well connected. But unfortunately I wouldn’t know who her closest friends are. Her family is in New York State, that I do know.”

  “Did she leave the office much today? You mentioned she was out earlier?” May asked, wanting to confirm if the timeline of Emily’s movements would have allowed for her to visit the Rushway River Lodge.”

  Adele sighed. “She wasn’t in the office at all today,” she said.

  “Not at all?” May’s eyes widened.

  “No. She often takes days out, or half days out, if she’s researching a story. It was not unusual that she didn’t come in. However, I also didn’t ask her where she was, as I had meetings throughout the day. And nor did she tell me, I’m afraid.”

  Her absence from the office meant she could have had the chance to kill Madeline. May felt highly suspicious that she’d been out and about all day.

  “If she messages you, please try to find out where she is,” May said. “And please don’t tell her we were here. That needs to remain confidential, as this is a murder investigation.”

 

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