Scrapbook of Murder by Lois Winston

Author:Lois Winston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lois Winston
Published: 2017-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

On my drive back from the hospital in Summit to Westfield I had wrestled with how much to tell Detective Spader. Did I have the right to divulge Lupe’s private family history without her consent?

Now as I nibbled on a slice of apple, I finally came to the reluctant conclusion that I had no choice. If today’s accidents were somehow connected to Lupe digging into her mother’s past, someone was desperate enough to keep her from finding the answers she sought. That person had to be stopped.

I took a deep breath and exhaled the entire story, beginning with Lupe bringing me the suitcase filled with photographs.

“That family has certainly had its share of tragedy,” said Spader when I’d finished my tale, “but I’m not sure today’s two incidents were anything more than coincidence. I’ll have to check with Somerset County to see if they have any information on the driver responsible for the first crash. Did Mrs. Betancourt mention any other details?”

“Like what?”

“Make and model of the vehicle? The color? Condition? Identifying markings? Maybe a partial plate number? Anything that would lead us to connect it to the hit-and-run.”

“Nothing, only that it was a panel van.”

“Of which there are tens of thousands on the road.”

“I know.”

“Luckily, we have a detailed description and plate number from the hit-and-run,” he said. “If traffic cams caught the earlier incident or the Somerset police have witness reports, we’ll know if it’s the same vehicle.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

He motioned toward the coffee pot sitting on my counter. “Any chance I could bum a cup? I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”

“Of course.” I switched on the coffee maker. “Cream? Sugar?”

“Black.”

While I prepared the coffee, Spader said, “If anyone else had come to me with this conspiracy theory, I would have dismissed it immediately.”

“So, you agree with me that there could be a connection?”

“I think you have a way of seeing things that I’ve learned to accept as credible.”

“Thank you for taking me seriously.”

Spader snorted. “Don’t let it go to your head. One thing puzzles me, though.”

“What’s that?”

“You said Mrs. Betancourt discovered the names of the boys who had attended the party by checking a yearbook at Our Lady of Peace. The first accident occurred within minutes of her leaving the school. Given the short timeframe, I don’t see how her search to uncover the rapist’s name could in any way connect to the crash on Rt. 22.”

I’d initially thought the same thing, but I’d also come up with an explanation. “Unless she told someone else about our conversation on Friday with her cousin.”

“Did she?”

I placed a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. “I don’t know. She never mentioned speaking with anyone else, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t.” And if she did, perhaps that person told others. Dozens of people might now know that Lupe was investigating what had happened to her mother as a young teen, and one of them might have a reason for silencing her.

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